Diverging Paths
by king-rich-cagle
Summary: [AU] Katara and Sokka decide to leave with Bato to find their father after saying goodbye to Aang. A retelling of The Last Airbender where Sokka and Katara leave Aang in 'Bato of the Water Tribe' to find Hakoda, and a few other changes. OC. Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
1. Bato of the Water Tribe

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! A few things about myself and the story before it starts: 1. This is the first time I've tried to write a fanfiction. It's gonna be far from perfect and the first few chapters might be a tad subpar but please understand. 2. I'm planning on skipping out on a few episodes/combining 2 or more together, as either I believe that the episode won't serve any actual relevance to the story or it was too short to take up one paragraph. 3. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! 4. I'm going to be focusing on Aang's and the siblings' (Katara + Sokka) stories primarily at first and I won't really be going into great detail about Zuko's journey at least for the end of Book 1 as it stays pretty much identical to the plot of the series and his story should be common knowledge. 5. Shipping isn't a major thing to me but for the sake of those that are interested, I'm sticking to canon pairings. 6. I don't know how frequently I'll be able to write but I'll do everything I can to finish the story in between study. And with that, I hope you enjoy! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar**

Chapter 1: Bato of the Water Tribe

"Sorry kids, but we really should get moving."

Bato's concerned statement was met with startled responses from the two Water Tribe children, whose minds had been preoccupied with the sight of a young airbender and his sky bison disappearing into the afternoon skies. Soon, they would cross a great mountain range and no longer would Appa's silhouette be visible amongst the gathering storm clouds. But as much as Katara and Sokka wanted to stay and make sure Aang would be safe on his journey to the North Pole, they recognised that the growing tempest would not wait for them to see off their friend. With a final glance to the sky, then to the ruined abbey, then to each other, they began their hike with Bato into the Earth Kingdom to regroup with Hakoda's forces and play their role in ending the war.

Sokka sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. We should get moving before this storm hits us."

At the mention of the storm however, Katara flinched. She recalled Aang's heartbreaking monologue about his leaving the Southern Air Temple alone with Appa, and their unfortunate imprisonment within the iceberg during the raging storm. A seed of worry implanted itself inside her subconscious and as the group reached the entrance of a large woodland forest, her thoughts reached out to Aang, begging him to stay safe, and praying that she wouldn't have to dig him out of an iceberg for a second time.

* * *

Just as Katara and Sokka took their time gazing at Appa riding off into the horizon, Aang couldn't help but look back at the abbey as they flew over the mountain range. He was sad; happy, because he knew Katara and Sokka were going to see their dad, but still sad. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was leaving his family again, for what felt like the second time in less than a year, and couldn't help but fear for their safety. Of course, this was nothing like Aang's abandonment of the Air Nomads; Katara and Sokka weren't about to be wiped off the face of the planet by firebenders.

"Or at least I hope not," he sighed to Momo. The lemur, who had been incessantly gobbling on a large exotic fruit, looked up at him with inquiring, beady eyes before returning to gnawing at his dinner.

After what felt like a small eternity the abbey was obscured from his view by a large mountain and Aang sank back into Appa's saddle, determined to chase off this storm just a little longer until they could find a safe place to make camp. Aang lay face-up on the saddle and vacantly looked at the overcast sky. Already, after only a few hours of being apart, Aang terribly missed his Water Tribe friends. He had forgotten how different it was to fly alone without Sokka's stupidly hilarious antics or Katara's angelical presence and wished that they had abandoned their silly quest to see their father and had travelled with him.

Aang slapped his forehead arrow with his palm. "I'm an idiot, Momo." Once again, the ogling stare of the flying lemur turned over to Aang. "I need to let Katara and Sokka see their dad. Why am I acting so selfish?" he groaned, turning his head to look at Momo whose fur had turned a vibrant yellow colour from the juices of his fruit. Aang laughed, but a pang of sadness hit him as no one else laughed with him. Almost instinctively, his hand flew down to his pocket where he held Katara's necklace, a small gift from her to him. He closed his eyes and began to recall the bittersweet events of the day.

* * *

_Zuko, Iroh and June had been tied up near one of the far walls of the abbey after yet another failed attempt at catching Aang. Although Zuko and June seemed visibly frustrated at the unresponsiveness of their bodies and the rope forcing all 3 to sit right next to each other, Iroh couldn't hide his delight at being so close to June, a sentiment that was not shared by her. All they could do was watch on as 'Team Avatar' decided to go their separate ways, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and hugs. _Keep it to yourselves,_ Zuko seethed to himself as he slowly tried to ease himself and the others free with his one paralysis free hand._

_Bato stood back, watching the heartfelt goodbyes and acknowledging the sincere emotional bonds the children of Hakoda shared with the Avatar. He and Hakoda shared a friendship much like this where they felt bonded like a family, and remembered the similar goodbye he shared with Hakoda upon his arrival at the abbey to recuperate from his wounds. Yet, he knew time was not their ally and although these kids might not want to leave one another's company any time soon, they would have to in order to see out the oncoming storm. He decided to cough ever so slightly which seemed to snap the trio out of their haze and back to the present, which Sokka recognised as a cue to wrap it up._

_Sokka turned back to the young airbender and sighed. "We're really gonna miss you buddy." His eyes began to water. "Oh come on Aang, now you've made me cry! You've turned me into a little baby!"_

_Aang laughed, but was unable to keep the tears from his own eyes. "It's okay to cry, Sokka. I promise I won't tell anyone." Sokka grinned and pulled Aang into a big bear hug and began to rub his knuckles across Aang's scalp in a brotherly noogie. When he put Aang back down after a few moments his voice turned from a choked, upset tone to one that was unusually sincere and protective for him._

"_I promise you that you'll see me again. Both of us," indicating towards his little sister. "I'm sorry that we can't follow you to the North Pole but we just can't pass up this opportunity to see Dad again. This war has already taken one of our parents and if we can help it, we'll make sure it doesn't take the other." Aang's downcast expression at hearing that hurt Sokka a bit inside so he continued, trying to alleviate some of Aang's concerns. "Don't blame yourself, Aang. Travelling with you has been the greatest experience of my life so far and don't worry. Hey, if anything, you hiding that scroll from us that said where our dad was was actually a _good thing_ in the end because – " He never got to finish his sentence after a sniff from Aang and a hard slap to the cheek from Katara. "Right right, point taken. Look, the point is Aang, you're our family too. You're like the little brother I never knew I wanted, or needed. We're not gonna be apart for too long, trust me, and we're gonna end this stupid war together. I _promise._" Sokka confirmed, placing his hands proudly on Aang's shoulders and being him in once more for a more loving and gentle embrace._

_Sokka brought his arms from around Aang to his sides and noticed Katara asking with her eyes that she wanted to talk to Aang as well, alone. He swept his arms towards Aang and wistfully joked, "The floor is yours," before walking backwards towards Bato. Katara turned her head from her brother to Aang, as her expression changed from one of delight to deep concern. She gripped his arm and pulled him towards Appa before turning him around so that he was facing her. She tried to tell Aang how worried she was for him and how much she would miss him, but what came out of her mouth instead was a complete mess._

"_Aang, are you sure? I mean, I want to see my father too and all but, but, … what about my waterbending?" she desperately asked Aang while still clinging to his arm. "I don't know if I'll be able to find a master in the Earth Kingdom, after all, it is the Earth Kingdom and they mainly have earthbenders and not really any waterbenders and we won't be able to travel on Appa which is really going to hurt our legs and – "_

_Her nervous rant was cut short by a small chuckle from Aang. Throughout her tongue twisting monologue she hadn't noticed Aang's gaze turn to the ground and she certainly hadn't noticed the tears on his cheeks as they raced down his skin and dropped to the ground. His eyes turned up to meet hers and instantly she was lost. How could it, that the innocent, grey eyes of a young boy were able to see through her thoughts so powerlessly? Why was it now suddenly so easy for her thoughts to tangle themselves up when within the entrancing gaze of the airbender?_

"_Katara, relax, I'm going to be fine." He replied with a small smile. Adding onto this, he reiterated, " I don't want to go back to being alone again but it's important that you see your dad again." _

"_But…" he paused, gulping as he did so, "…I'm gonna miss you anyway," he added with a blush. Katara, emotional as ever, was on the verge of losing herself before Aang's face practically illuminated. He reached into his pocket and he pulled out Kya's necklace. Katara gasped and instinctively brought her hand to her neck where she remembered it had been missing. How could she forget?_

"_I snagged this from Zuko in the middle of our fight," he said with a broad grin on his face. "I figure I better give it to you now before I forget and accidentally lose it somewhere in the Earth Kingdom."_

_Katara looked at the necklace, then back at Aang's beaming expression. She honestly could not understand how so much joy, positivity and thoughtfulness managed to fit inside a small boy, but his grin was infectious and she couldn't help but smile through her tears._

"_Keep it."_

_Aang's eyes lit up in a confused manner and was about to protest before Katara put her finger up to his lips, continuing: "That necklace reminds me of my mum. It's one of the last things I have to remember her by, but having it always brought me a sense of home and reminded me of my happy memories with her. Giving it to you, well, I hope it can remind you of Sokka and I while we're apart."Katara choked on a sob near the end of her sentence and Aang instinctively pulled her in for a hug. She reciprocated, wrapping her arms around Aang's shoulders and resting her head on Aang's crown as his head nestled into the crook of her neck. Together they remained, each soaking up the others presence until Katara decided it was time to disengage, but not before leaving a soft kiss on Aang's cheek. She backed away towards Sokka and leant into his figure, as her brother put his arm around her shoulders protectively._

_Bato then chose to approach Aang, still slightly upset from the goodbyes and with Katara's necklace hanging loosely from his hand. He extended a right hand towards the Avatar, who awoke from his stupor and shook it confidently._

"_It's been an honour to meet you, Avatar Aang," he began. "Before we depart, I wanted to give you another leaving gift" he joked, as he handed Aang his map with the location of the Southern Water Tribes forces._

"_Don't you need this to get there?" he asked._

"_No, not at all. I've got it memorised and I can buy another map and circle the location for myself if needed. Now, I want you to meet us all there. When we arrive at the camp, I'm going to tell Chief Hakoda of our plan to reunite with you. Our plan is to plan a small invasion of the Fire Nation and with your help, it might just be possible._

"_The men have been waiting for a beacon of hope to win the war, and you might just be it. They'll wait 'til the end of time to fight by your side but more importantly, I think it best if you complete your training as the Avatar before coming. Master the elements, then come find us." Bato smiled, placing his hands on Aang's shoulders. _Admirable_, he thought,_ how the fate of the world seemed to lie solely on this young boy's existence yet he acted as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Then again,_ he guessed,_ this was pretty ordinary for the Avatar. _"Try not to take too long though," he said with a wink, "the sooner we end this war the better, I say!"_

_And with another firm handshake, Aang had gracefully jumped onto Appa's back, Momo coming to perch himself on the airbender's shoulder after saying his own goodbyes to the water tribespeople. Gazing down at his new family, Aang unwillingly whispered the magic words to Appa and in moments, were already high in the sky. He cast his eyes back and caught Katara's gaze; acknowledging it with a large blush and an even larger wave goodbye._

* * *

Aang sighed, and trudged back to Appa's reigns. Amidst his daydreaming, Appa had been gliding over the top of more mountains and as Aang poked his head around Appa's neck, he spotted a slap jutting out over a ledge that looked the perfect size for himself and Appa. He guided the bison down and within moments, the large sky bison had drifted off to slumber. Aang was not so lucky. His thoughts were muddled and his mind was crowded with thoughts, things he might've forgotten to say, any miniscule worry he might've had about Katara and Sokka. These nuances were put to rest, however, when Aang clutched onto Katara's necklace, instantly freeing him of most of his worries.

And as he finally drifted off to a much-earned, peaceful sleep, he unconsciously rambled, "Night, Katara. Night, Sokka."


	2. The Deserter

**Author's Note: I uploaded this chapter pretty soon after the previous one just because I just want to get the rest of Book 1 pretty much out of the way. I don't want to raise expectations as I won't always be able to update this frequently. Please leave a review so I can improve my writing, and feel free to provide any suggestions as to what you think should happen later in the story! Also an apology, this chapter doesn't really explore that much new stuff, it's essentially just a rehash of The Deserter w/ a few elements changed and some of Aang's emotional explorations and growth. :)**

As the bison soared over the northern Earth Kingdom, the young airbender could do nothing but stare. Stare at the endless rows of assorted cumulus clouds gradually revealing themselves over the horizon, stare at the rich hues of blue compromising the morning skies, stare at anything but Appa's depressingly empty saddle devoid of laughter and friendship. Over the past week, Aang's travels had gone much like this. He had never stopped to consider just how _dull_ it was without the antics of Sokka and Katara, how their sibling quarrels would unconsciously brighten Aang's every day. He could imagine them now, their ghosts sitting across the saddle, arguing over a stupid map and trying to figure out which way was what.

"_Trust me Katara, that way's north. I can feel it in my gut."_

"_Oh yeah? Your gut also told you to fly us straight into that storm a few weeks ago, and you were sick for ages."_

"_Hey don't blame that on me sis, you got sick too."_

"_But – but – that has absolutely nothing to do with what I just said!"  
_

"_It's quite alright Katara, your apology is accepted."_

Aang smiled but his vivid daydream caused a pang of nostalgia causing him to reflexively reach his hand to his right shoulder. Under his airbending robes, he had tied Katara's necklace around his arm to make sure that it wouldn't be lost, a likely situation had he continued to keep it in his pocket. The stone was smooth to the touch apart from the intricate carvings, and Aang ran his fingers over the small crevices on its surface. The necklace was one of the few reminders he owned of the siblings; the others being the map to their father's location and a smelly pair of socks that had been accidentally left by Sokka. _For a man so associated to water, _Aang thought, grimacing, _he sure doesn't wash himself much._

Aang sat back, resting his arms behind his head, as he looked up to the fluffy clouds. He groaned, eyes vacantly staring into the sky's endless dimensions, bored out of his 12 year old mind.

"That cloud looks so much like a face don't you think, Momo?" he asked his flying lemur but he, too, had long gotten bored of cloud-spotting and had fallen asleep in an empty sack of fruit. _Can't blame him,_ Aang thought,_ that must've been the thousandth face shaped cloud we've seen this week. No wonder he's bored._

"And-and that one over there, don't you think that one looks like a rabbit?" Aang feigned excitement during his little speech.

"And that one's a book, that one's a hand, that one's a, a, … a cloud." He finally gave up trying to excite himself. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but cloud-watching had lost its appeal four days ago.

What hadn't lost its appeal to Aang, however, was the idea of exploring new, foreign places. Aang peered over the edge of Appa's saddle and to his delighted surprise a Fire Nation colony appeared on the edge of the horizon, surrounded by acres upon acres of forests and mountains. Aang's giddiness overwhelmed him and as he urged his bison forward with the lure of a meal from the town, Appa roared and took off towards the forest.

* * *

Routinely, the cloaked figure marched around the clearing in the forest. He surveyed the surrounding wilderness and made sure that no watchful eyes were upon the rag-tag collection of huts and tents scattered near the river. His master required the utmost secrecy; being the most wanted man in the Fire Nation, save for the Avatar, required that he and his men stay hidden but alert 24/7.

Chey prided himself on his association with Master Jeong Jeong, yet wasn't aware of Jeong Jeong's dislike of him. He was naturally curious but often clueless and stupid and regularly disobeyed orders; not someone you'd ideally want guarding pretty much the most wanted man in the world. And his signature traits could not serve him worse as he spotted the outline of what seemed like an enormous, six-legged _cow_ in the sky. That is, until the arrow upon its furry forehead came into view, and Chey's eyes grew to the size of saucepans.

_Could it be? No… the rumours of the Avatar's return were just that: rumours. But what if… no, it couldn't be… but if it is…_

His mind frantically drifted back to his orders to not look for the Avatar, under _any _circumstances. Something about Jeong Jeong being paranoid. But rules were made to be broken, right? And maybe if he found the Avatar and showed them to Jeong Jeong, he wouldn't have anything to fear anymore!

Without a second thought, Chey vanished into the woods and abandoned his post, again forgetting to think of the consequences of his actions. But he knew it; that had to be a sky bison. And only airbenders ever used to ride sky bison. And the Avatar was an airbender. It had to be him. It _had _to be.

* * *

Aang flew down upon Appa to a small patch of land in the woods bare of trees and shrubs, large enough for the airbender, his sky bison, and a small campfire to share between them. Aang took the time available to him to run into the nearby town and gather cooking ingredients to make a soup for himself and Appa. A soup was hardly a delectable or delicious meal for either but making the soup gave him the slightest opportunity to practice some basic waterbending by stirring the ingredients within the broth and Aang was hardly a great chef regardless; the cooking duties had normally fallen to Katara.

_Katara was such a good chef, _Aang thought to himself as he sniffed gingerly at the bubbling pot of food which somehow already smelt burnt after only a minute over the fire.

Aang's travel into the town had been no easier. Travelling into the town alone was risky enough, travelling into the town alone while displaying airbender tattoos was another problem altogether. He had desperately tried to disguise his tattoos by pulling his shirt up and over his head like some sort of hunchback and by pulling his sleeves over his arms. He later thought that his strange appearance garnered even more attention than some arrow tats would've. And in the end his disguise was futile as in his desperate dash towards the safety of the forest, food loaded within his arms, his shirt fell from atop his head revealing his tattoo. He felt at least ten sets of eyes on him as he fled the town, noticing a few stifled gasps of surprise and confusion. The security of Appa's homely hideout could not have come sooner.

_Sokka would've been able to disguise me perfectly, _Aang again thought, gulping down his lunch and resisting the urge to gag on the unpleasant slush. Once finished, he began to bend a small stream of soup into Appa's gaping jaw when he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He jolted to attention; swivelling around quickly with his body in a mock fighting stance, his eyes darting left to right to try and find the disturbance.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Aang yelled to the leafage around him. A stupid question, he knew; of course someone was there. His thoughts were confirmed as a cloaked figure emerged from the treeline and walked leisurely over to Aang.

"Hey there, Avatar," the figure said with a sly smile.

Aang was stunned. "How did you – I mean - I'm not the Avatar – how did - wait – how – who are you?" he finally spluttered. He reached out to Appa's side and snatched his glider, tentatively pointing it in the direction of the stranger.

The stranger pulled his hood down. "Relax, kid. I'm not here to hurt you. And there's no need to hide who you are from me, I know an Avatar when I see one." He smiled and beckoned to himself. "The name's Chey."

Aang dropped his guard and held his glider firmly upright. "Why have you come to find me?"

"I serve a man. Actually I take that back, he's not a man. He's a legend, a myth, but he's real. A while ago, Jeong Jeong served as an admiral or a general or something like that, y'know, way up the ladder. Anyways, he became the first person to every leave the Fire Nation army, and live." Chey puffed out his chest and pointed his thumb at himself. "And I'm the second! Although, no one really remembers second anyway. That's fine though. Some people think he's mad. Pfft! Jeong Jeong is a master firebender, he's not mad – just enlightened!"

Aang's eyes widened and his glider was released from his vice grip and fell to the ground. _A master firebender?_ Aang excitedly thought. _A firebender who can teach me? Who's not with the Fire Lord?_

Aang leaped over and grabbed the front of Chey's cloak in his fists. "You've got to take me to him!"

Chey flashed a smile. "Don't worry little man, that's why I'm here. He's the perfect person to train the Avatar, he just hasn't realised it yet."

Chey turned and beckoned for Aang to follow him as he rushed to pack up their camping gear. Within moments his tent was back on Appa's saddle and the miserable contents of the cooking pot found their way onto the solid ground. They meandered through a narrow path in the trees, barely unrecognisable if not for the faded red ribbons tied to various trees that Chey had pointed out to him. Appa floated effortlessly just above the forest canopy keeping a careful eye upon his rider and their guide as he had given up long ago trying to squeeze between the confines of the path. The walk was rather long and arduous but as they trekked, Chey recounted past war tales to Aang of Jeong Jeong's many escapades, all to Aang's delight and wonder. Aang couldn't be more excited to meet Jeong Jeong. How great was this?

* * *

"Commander Zhao, sir, we have reports of the Avatar's location."

Zhao looked up from his desk upon his battle ship to the soldier standing deadly still in front of him. They had anchored off the coast of a nearby colony, aiming to exploit their town for supplies and fuel. "Excellent. And any knowledge of the whereabouts of Prince Zuko?"

"No, commander. It is understood that he is travelling North further still. We believe he will arrive at port within the week."

"And what of the Avatar?"

"He is located somewhere within the forests surrounding the eastern side of the nearby Fire Nation colony. Our sources from within the colony tell us he was travelling with his bison as well."

Zhao narrowed his eyes. _So Avatar… you've finally met my failure of a teacher._ He thought to himself, smiling deviously._ Let this be your failure as well._ "Prepare our 8 best firebenders for an immediate raid. I know exactly where he is."

* * *

As it turns out, Aang wasn't actually meant to be found by Chey. In fact, he was actually explicitly ordered _not _to look for the Avatar, as it posed a great security risk to have virtually the two most wanted men by the Fire Nation in the same location. But regardless, after having a small nap and eating some _actual_ food, Aang found his way into the hut where his (hopefully) future firebending master.

The hut was situated on a small jetty leading out over a nearby stream. Its walls and roof were constructed of bamboo poles tightly bound together with twine. A doorway to the interior was obscured by a dirty curtain and as Aang pushed the drape aside he was greeted with the sight of a muggy room, dimly lit by a semicircle of wax candles. Within the candle enclosure a man, who appeared to be at least 60 years old, sat cross-legged with his back to the airbender. He wore a shawl that was loosely draped over his shoulders and had a headful of messy grey hairs.

"I asked Chey not to bring you to my abode, yet here you are."

Aang flinched, unsure how Jeong Jeong knew it was him. "Master Jeong Jeong, I need you to teach me firebending."

"You are not ready, young Avatar. I could tell from watching you arrive at the camp that you have not mastered waterbending nor earthbending."

"How could you –"

"Do not question me, Avatar. Now _leave_."

"But Master, I need to master firebending. And you're just about the only person who can."

"Only a fool seeks his own destruction."

"But – but I'm the Avatar! It's my destiny to –"

At this, Jeong Jeong scoffed. "Destiny? What would a boy know of destiny? If a fish lives its whole life in a river, does he know the river's destiny? _No!_ Only that it runs on and on out of his control! He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end. He cannot imagine the ocean."

Aang caught his breath, and stammered, "Okay, but it's the Avatar's duty to master all of the bending disciplines."

"To master the bending disciplines, you must first master discipline itself. But you have no interest in this, so I have no interest in you! Now," Jeong Jeong slowly turned back around, "get out."

Aang began to feel desperate. "Please, I have to learn. This could be my only chance," he pleaded.

Jeong Jeong whipped his torso around and his eyes bore holes into Aang's soul with their furious gaze. He yelled, "Are you deaf? How can I teach you if you refuse to listen? Before learning firebending you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing, earth is ready and stable, but fire, fire is alive! It breathes, it grows. Without the bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it! That is its destiny! You are not ready! You are too weak!"

What happened next, Jeong Jeong couldn't even begin to fathom. The candlesticks launched plumes of flames to the ceiling, encasing the room in a blindingly bright light. It threatened to burn down the very hut they sat in but just as quickly as the flames erupted, they disappeared, plunging the room into an eerie darkness. What confused Jeong Jeong the most however, was that none of this was his doing.

A single candle relit itself and bathed Jeong Jeong's surroundings in its sombre hues. He no longer sat in a bamboo hut; he now sat in a vast, empty space occupied by only a singular, desolate tree behind him. And where the stubborn young airbender once sat, a towering figure appeared in his place: Avatar Roku.

Roku narrowed his eyes. "You think I am weak?"

"Avatar Roku!" Jeong Jeong exclaimed, still working his way over the shock of visiting Avatar Roku. _I must somehow be in the Spirit World. But how… and why?_ Finally acknowledging what Roku had said, he spluttered, "No, no! I did not mean that!"

Roku's glare was unrelenting as he replied forcefully. "I have mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lifetimes. Now, I must do it once again. You will teach the Avatar…"

Roku waved his hand at the nearby tree and Jeong Jeong watched on in a mizture of fear and wonder as the tree instantly sprung ablaze.

"… firebending."

Jeong Jeong lowered his head and closed his eyes, acknowledging his new duty to Roku. "Yes, yes, I will teach you." He finally submitted.

"Really? That's great!" Aang's childish voice awoke Jeong Jeong from his vision, eliciting a long groan from the firebending master.

Jeong Jeong stood, towering over Aang's childish frame. _How did I get caught into this mess? _he thought to himself. With a curt downwards glance at Aang, he ordered. "We start at sunrise tomorrow."

* * *

Today, the Avatar had begun his firebending training but Jeong Jeong feared it would end just as quickly as it started. He sat in a meditative position, silently contemplating his predicament and frowning while brewing a small pot of jasmine tea. _Fire is dangerous. Fire is alive. Air is free and easy-going. Water is adaptable and soothing. Earth is steady and reliable. But fire… it is devious and cunning. It will consume those even with the slightest lack of willpower and strength. I fear that our young Avatar hasn't learnt either just yet._ His mind was littered with fears over Aang's ability to learn firebending. He could tell, through the Avatar's careless mindset towards the discipline required for such a powerful bending art. And, he thought as he heard the soft pitter-patter of the airbender's footsteps, his fears had been confirmed.

Jeong Jeong turned from his kettle to face Aang, who had so rudely entered the hut without even knocking. "What are you doing here? I did not tell you to stop!" he demanded.

"I've been breathing for hours!" the young Avatar said exasperatedly.

Jeong Jeong turned back to his tea. "You want to stop breathing?" he asked rhetorically.

"I want you to stop wasting my time! I already know how to squat and breathe and fell the sun. I wanna know how to shoot fire out of my fingertips!" Aang exclaimed, wiggling his skinny fingers towards Jeong Jeong. He sighed, noting how Aang's childish stubbornness was preventing him from giving truth and reasoning behind his words.

"I had a pupil once who had _no _interest in learning discipline. He was only concerned with the power of fire, how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path. But fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume, and without control it destroys everything around it." Jeong Jeong ended his ramble and thought back to his student, Zhao. How, through Jeong Jeong's failures as a teacher, he had manipulated the power of fire to destroy anything in his path whilst disregarding any consequences.

He ended his monologue by imparting a small piece of knowledge onto the airbender. "Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everything you love." And with that, the airbender took leave from the hut.

* * *

Aang must've been meditating on that rock for at least an hour until Jeong Jeong re-emerged from his abode. He had been contemplating over the firebender's words of wisdom and his tragic tale of a student who had lost their way. If he was to learn firebending, he had to be controlled and disciplined. If not, well he didn't know what would happen nor did he want to think too much about it. He already feared the possibility of somehow burning Katara with his fire when they were reunited.

Still, Aang kept his head low and his eyes closed. "I thought about what you said. I promise I'll be more patient."

Jeong Jeong didn't smile, but Aang could sense his acceptance. "We're going to work with fire now." Upon hearing those words, Aang jumped for joy and did a small flip in the air while exclaiming, "Oh yeah!" before registering Jeong Jeong's disapproving stare. He reflexively stood back in a bowing stance. "I mean, let us begin."

The master snatched a small leaf from mid-air and pressed it tightly with his thumb and forefinger. A thin wisp of smoke emerged from the plant as a hole was torched through, sparkling red embers dotting its circumference. "Concentrate on the fire," Jeong Jeong said while passing the leaf to Aang. "I want you to keep the flames from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can."

Aang was exasperated at the task; he'd been told he was going to work with fire but this… this was baby stuff. He knew he could do so much more. As Aang was about to protest, however, Chey barged over to the bamboo hut.

Still catching his breath from running, Chey panted, "Master! There's trouble!"

Aang was confused. "What's going on?"

Jeong Jeong began to sprint with Chey back the way he had came but not before turning back to Aang and commanding, "Concentrate on your leaf!"

Aang groaned, holding his _stupid_ leaf in his hands. Appa, bored of the stables and in need of a good stretch, lumbered down to the river with Momo incessantly chattering into his ear. The sight of his sky bison and the flying lemur made Aang excited, and he wanted to show them what he could do.

"This is the worst firebending lesson ever! All he does is just leave me alone for hours so I can bore myself to death!" Aang smiled over at his animal companions. "At least you guys keep me company."

Aang sighed, knowing neither bison nor lemur could properly understand what he was saying. "Jeong Jeong has no idea. I'm ready to do so much more!" He concentrated all of his energy onto this one small flame and allowed it to chew up the remainder of the leaf; as it did so, Aang captured the small flame and strengthened it through his breath, _something _valuable he had learned from Jeong Jeong.

"Look Appa, I made fire!" he excitedly exclaimed to a disheartening grunt from the bison. Aang began to toy with the fire to attract their attention by throwing it high into the air and catching it, then juggling the ball of inferno.

His curiosity peaked as his mind wandered to the hordes of firebenders he had fought off over the past two months or so. How they projected large fireballs with their fist or narrower blasts with a flat hand. But he knew he was more skilled than those meagre benders. After all, only a day had passed and look what he could do! He was incredible; a prodigy even. He fought back to how Jeong Jeong had earlier swept a short fire whip the instantly light all the candles within the hut at once. Surely such a basic movement was possible. So he tried it.

And like all things in his life lately, he miserably failed. The fire spread out of his control and scorched Appa's fur on his front right leg, eliciting a loud roar of pain and a smaller squeal from Momo upon the bison's reaction. Aang stared on in horror, as Appa desperately ran into the river to cool his leg and to extinguish any of Aang's flames.

"Appa, oh no, I'm so sorry buddy!" Aang cried. He jumped into the water and waded towards Appa, tentatively putting his hand out to comfort him. Appa seemed to recoil from Aang's touch initially but after looking into each other's eyes and the realisation that it was, indeed, an accident, the bison leant towards Aang so that the airbender's head rested upon his gargantuan, furry arrowhead.

After a minute, Aang led Appa and Momo out of the water to more closely inspect Appa's burn. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as bad as he had originally anticipated. Appa's reaction to jump into the water may have potentially spared serious burn injuries. The flames had only managed to burn some of the hairs on Appa's leg, leaving a black mark indicating the scorched tips of his fur. None of Appa's skin was touched; his thick coating of hair guarding him from the brunt of the heat.

After acknowledging that Appa was now going to be okay, Aang knelt by the riverside and began to weep. "Appa," he whispered, "I'm so sorry. Jeong Jeong tried to tell me that I wasn't ready, and now look at what I did." His tears were running down his cheeks and causing ripples in the river. "I wasn't ready. I hurt someone that was close to me and now I don't know if they'll want to stay with me ever again."

The realisation hit him. No longer was Aang just referring to Appa. His eyes, swollen with tears, looked over to Appa who met him with a concerned look. Aang couldn't resist running up to his large forehead and hugging it, the comfort of Appa's soft fur masking the worst of Aang's cries.

"They've all left me, Appa. The monks, Gyatso, and now Katara and Sokka. All because I've made stupid mistakes and I hurt them. I abandoned Gyatso and the monks when they needed me most, and I'll never get the chance to say sorry. I hid that scroll from Katara and Sokka and hid their dad from them. And… and…" Aang reached his breaking point. "And I've hurt you! My oldest friend, who I stupidly burnt because I don't have discipline. Please, forgive me. Please, don't go like the others did." Appa let out a soft roar of acceptance, and Aang gave a small laugh of relief. Multiple weeks' worth of untouched emotion had finally been unbottled and for the first time since he saw Katara after breaking free from his icy prison, he felt genuinely at peace with his inner emotions.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Aang, Jeong Jeong had watched this whole debacle from under the cover of a large tree. He had arrived back to warn the Avatar of Zhao's arrival just as Aang had burned his bison. _Such lack of control,_ Jeong Jeong had thought. _But then again, he hasn't mastered the other arts yet. Once he learns water and earth he will be responsible enough to carry the burden of firebending._ He approached the Avatar, whose head lifted out of the shaggy confines of Appa's forehead.

"Avatar. You must pack your things and leave now!" Jeong Jeong commanded.

Aang looked genuinely surprised. "Look, Jeong Jeong, I know I didn't do my training correctly but I know why I wasn;t focusing. I promise that –"

Jeong Jeong waved a hand in front of his face. "I do not care for your excuses. You disobeyed my direct requests, and that is not something I will forgive instantly. But more concerning is the fact that Admiral Zhao of the Fire Nation has almost found his way here, and ypu are in grave danger."

"Then why would I leave? I can help you defend your home!" Aang argued, a determined glint in his eye to make up for his past errors.

"Avatar, I understand your enthusiasm, but this fight is not for the likes of you. You are too young a child to face a man such as Zhao just yet, and I fare much more of an advantage against him." Jeong Jeong paused, not sure whether to continue. "After all… he was my _ex-student._"

Aang's eyes grew abnormally large. "_Zhao _was your student? The one who had no restraint?"

Jeong Jeong gravely nodded. "Yes. I know his weaknesses, and how to sneak past his defences. And, as my duty to the world, I must ensure that the Avatar is safe so that he may restore balance to the world." Aang was about to raise a concern with that before Jeong Jeong interrupted him. "Do not fail me again, Aang. Do as I ask and leave. It is the best decision for you to leave so we do not risk your death."

Aang submitted, sighing as his shoulders slumped. But not a moment later, his energy was reinvigorated and his determination had returned to him. "Understood, Master. I'll go grab my things now."

But as he was about to leave, Jeong Jeong placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. "I know my exercises today were difficult to undergo, especially for you with the impatience of a child, but you were an exceptional student." Aang beamed. "I sense that one day, you will become a greater firebender than I ever could dream of being. But" – he looked Aang sternly in the eyes – "you must not learn firebending until you have mastered water and earth. This is my last ask of you. Firebending is a dangerous discipline that must be appreciated in order to be controlled. You will only learn this appreciation and patience through mastering the other elements, as is the nature of the Avatar cycle."

Aang seemed determined to follow Jeong Jeong's orders. "I won't let you down again, Master Jeong Jeong. But are you sure you'll be alright to fight Zhao?"

Jeong Jeong cracked a vague grin and responded: "What gave you the impression I intended to fight him?"

"You – you – you just smiled!" Aang laughed. Jeong Jeong's expression quickly turned back into a scowl and Aang remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "Oh right, yeah, leaving. Sorry, I'll get onto that now."

Within moments Aang had gathered his few possessions and tossed them carelessly onto Appa's saddle. As he air boosted himself up onto Appa's neck to take hold of the reins, Jeong Jeong bowed deeply before the pair. "It has been an honour to serve you, Avatar Aang. May our paths cross once more, in this lifetime or another," Jeong Jeong muttered. He was always one for formal attitudes and manneurisms. Aang didn't quite yet understand all the hullabaloo around such formalities and merely waved, as he and his bison lifted into the air and began to soar northwards once more.

"See you later, Jeong Jeong! Best of luck!"

Jeong Jeong lifted his head and gazed at the solace for the world. _Such a young boy,_ Jeong Jeong thought, _yet such raw power, such potential, such affinity for firebending. I see now why he is the only hope._

* * *

Zhao and his men burst into the clearing to find an abandoned camp, par for the old man standing in the middle facing the river. Zhao was shocked; this is where the Avatar should be! One of his men beckoned him into looking upwards into the sky, and he scowled. The Avatar, elusive as ever, had escaped his grasp once again.

"Hello, Zhao." Jeong Jeong's voice returned Zhao's gaze to the man standing boldly in the abandoned enclosure, who had now turned to face him.

Zhao glanced around the camp and sneered, repulsed and humoured by the master's current standard of living. "So this is what has happened to the great Jeong Jeong. You at you. You were once so great. Ican't believe my former master has become nothing more that a simple _savage._"

Jeong Jeong pointed a finger warily in Zhao's direction. "It is you who have embraced savagery, Zhao!"

"It's _Admiral _Zhao, now." He puffed out his chest a little to dignify his new position.

"Your title will not help you against the Avatar. Do not try to fight him. You will not win!" Jeong Jeong stroked his beard. "I have never seen such potential, such raw power within such a boy before. He will easily outclass you Zhao."

Zhao snorted. "We'll see about that." He pointed to Jeong Jeong. "Men! Attack the deserter!"

Fireballs from all sides of the campsite were hurled towards the lonesome figure in the middle of the campsite. Jeong Jeong was trapped within the inferno but as the flames subsided, the man was nowhere to be found. No remnants even of burnt clothing were left behind. It seemed like the master had simply vanished into thin air, like some silly magician's trick. Zhao had seen this all before, he knew how elusive Jeong Jeong really was.

"He's run off into the forest!" he barked, sending his men scampering. "He can't have gone far." Zhao was left alone within the abandoned clearing to wallow in his thoughts and to look at the faint silhouette of the Avatar approaching the horizon. He grew furious and as he bundled his hands into stiff fists, trails of smoke escaped from his grip.

"You can't run forever, Avatar. We will meet again."

* * *

As they flew over the Northern Earth Kingdom, Aang never once looked back at the Fire Nation colony or the tent-covered clearing that was obscured by the treeline. He had done enough looking back already; he had a job to do and with Jeong Jeong's selfless sacrifice, he was more determined than ever.

His job was the same as ever: travel to the North Water Tribe and find a master to teach him waterbending. His drive to complete the mission had grown after recognising Jeong Jeong's decision to protect Aang from Zhao. Another face he had let down, all in the pursuit of undertaking Avatar training he should have completed 100 years ago. He'd already spent a century ignoring the war; now, he wanted more than ever to make up for his mistakes and fix the world.

He noticed though, that not once in the past two days with Jeong Jeong had he even remembered that Katara's necklace. His hand crept up gingerly to his shoulder, where the necklace still sat. He untied it, feeling a faint rush of blood flood his right arm. Unbeknownst to him until then, the necklace had been ever-so-slightly cutting off Aang's circulation. After hesitating, he retied the necklace around his own neck, where it sat hidden by the collar of his airbending attire.

Onwards they flew until they reached a small beach facing the Northern sea and they rested the night on a large cliff edge overlooking it. Aang sat against Appa with Momo perched on his shoulder, and cast his eyes out to the tenacious waters in front of him. Waves bashed the rocky precipice, the churning and crashing of the tides cutting through the peaceful silence of the evening. The ocean reflected the warm hues of the western sunset, its colour painting the skies and reflecting off of the restless ocean. And despite the peacefulness of it, the beauty of it, Aang was still sad and confused.

_Jeong Jeong must be wrong,_ he thought, looking out to his left at the falling sun. _Fire can't be as awful as he makes it out to be; after all, how could something so bad ever make something so beautiful?_

His hand crept back up to the necklace. _I wish you could see this, Katara. It's the most beautiful sight in the world._ He reconsidered after thinking about the Southern waterbender and those vivid sapphire eyes. _Well, almost._ _I miss you and Sokka so much it hurts._

He cast his gaze further north to his destination: the North Pole. He hadn't actually thought much about it. He was completely assuming that everything would be made right there, but now uncertainty began to cloud his mind. What if it had been destroyed, like the Southern tribe? What if he couldn't find a teacher? What if he wouldn't even be allowed _in_, after abandoning them for 100 years in his leave?

"We'll figure it all out when we get there, right Appa?" he said uncertainly, receiving a grunt of response from the sleepy bison. "For now, let's get s good sleep. We don't know when the next time we'll get to sleep will be. Next stop: the North Pole." He yawned and curled up into Appa's fur, Momo jumping from his shoulder into his lap and falling asleep instantly.

His eyes were struggling to stay open, and his fingers were slipping from the smooth necklace. He mumbled dreamily, "Katara, Sokka, I'm going to make you proud. I'm going to make this up to you" before finally closing his stormy eyes. Within moments he was fast asleep, preparing himself from the uncertainties of the Northern Water Tribe.

* * *

Notes

ImaginedElegance: thanks for the review! You make a good point about Zhao always knowing where Jeong Jeong was, I meant to explain that in the end dialogue between the two but I must've forgotten. What I had imagined was that Zhao had always known where Jeong Jeong was and that there were attempts to capture him, but they all failed, hence the high security at the compound and Jeong Jeong's stubbornness making him unwilling to move. Zhao never went in person to any of these attempts as he would've believed it below himself and he left him alone for a while after attempts of capture were unsuccessful. I need to start looking at my notes a bit more closely when writing to make sure I stick to ideas that make sense and so that everything is explained.


	3. Ostrich Horses

**Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter took a while! I found it hard to write because I didn't have much source material for this. I'm going to do a few chapters detailing Katara, Sokka and Bato's journey through the Earth Kingdom. I probably won't do as many like this as I will about Aang (after all, the original story **_**is **_**mainly supposed to be about Aang) but I like the idea of making up some completely new ideas and adventures for the watertribesmen. Tell me what you think!**

Chapter 3: Ostrich horses!

The airbender had long since left the abbey on Appa, yet the water siblings were fixated on the figures slowly dwindling into the distance. Sokka, realising that Bato wanted them to start moving, awoke himself from his saddened daze and readied himself for the travel.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he sighed, before remembering the storm clouds gathering from the west. "We should get moving before this storm hits us."

Katara was still in her stupor when Sokka poked her shoulder, unsuccessfully trying to bring her back to the present. She wished to be on that bison with Aang, travelling up to the Northern tribe. _I'm so worried, _she continuously thought. _What if he gets hurt? What if he runs out of food? What if he… what if he dies/_ She felt a tear well up in her eye as she feared about Aang's death. But she couldn't think for much more, as Sokka's poking had grown ever more incessant and irritating, like a woodpecker drumming onto a tree trunk. She shook her head and awoke from her daze, startled.

"What? Oh right yeah… yeah ok, let's start moving."

The trio began their journey by walking to the nearby pine forest after waving goodbye to the nuns living in the abbey. Bato had thanked them graciously beforehand for caring for him for almost 6 months, and was sad to leave them. It had been almost as hard to pull Bato from the ladies as it was Katara from Aang. But nevertheless, the group departed into the woods for the second time that day and with a curt glance over her shoulder to the black dot on the horizon of Aang and Appa, Katara followed them into the foilage, unsure of when she would see the airbender again.

The trio all knew the start of this route, and had planned their first resting point to be under a rocky outcropping close to a dwindling stream. It was a few miles out from the abbey and they had passed by it earlier; when they had initially left Aang at the monastery after learning he had kept the message from their father secret. Wow, had things changed within only a few hours. They had both gone from never wanting to see Aang again to never wanting to leave Aang again in less than a day.

They settled back down at the rocky outcropping. It lay about a hundred metres or so off the beaten track, masked by a thick array of trees and low growing plants. It sat above a narrow stream that ran through the cracks between large stones, heading back westward towards the abbey. _This must lead to the abbey's reservoir of water for perfumes, _Bato realised.

They set out tents under the jutting rock and gathered firewood quickly; just in time, it turned out, as the rain began to pour just as the kindling was lit. Bato took a case of stewed prumes out of his travelling rucksack, a gift from the nuns who had given him a few food supplies for the start of their journey. They also gifted him a bit of money which he had initially declined out of kindness but after being reminded they had no use for money and could earn it back regardless by selling perfume, he gratefully obliged in taking the gold and silver pieces.

Sokka limberly stretched his body by the glow of the fire. "Man," he started, rotating his shoulder to relieve built-up pressure and releasing a few satisfying cracks, "I forgot how much I hated travelling before Appa. I didn't really appreciate how easy it was with him around." He pushed his arms up above his head and winced as a few of his vertebrae cracked from the stretch. "_Ow._"

Katara laughed, preparing a pot of pre-stewed sea prunes over the open flame. "Sokka, you're such a wimp. I thought you were supposed to be a man," she teased.

He gave her a stupid look and scoffed, trying to defend himself. "I'm not a wimp! I have the body of a model." He flexed his arms to prove his point, but there was little change in the size of his bicep. "I – I just haven't worked out recently," he stammered, desperately tying to defend himself as Katara cackled.

"You're right, though. I much preferred travelling on Appa with Aang." Realising what she just said, Katara quickly turned around to Bato apologetically. "Oh no, Bato, I didn't mean it that way, I swear! You're super great to travel with to!" she said. Of course, this wasn't completely the truth. All three of them knew she'd preferred travelling with Aang, Sokka and Appa but Bato took no offence.

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, Katara. I know he was your friend. Besides, I can sort of understand the appeal of not having to walk while travelling," pointing to his feet. "My foot is as hard and tense as a piece of seal jerky right now," he joked.

Katara poked her tongue out in disgust as she served the reheated stewed sea prunes into three small wooden bowls. Sokka, eager for dinner, pouted when he saw the unappealing amount of food for his dinner. "We have to conserve food, Sokka. We should try and keep this for as long as possible so we can save money and not have to worry about hunting."

Sokka sighed. "I hate it when you're reasonable," he grumbled. But he watched curiously as Katara served up a fourth bowl unconsciously. "Uh, Katara," he pointed out, "what are you doing?"

Realising that she had prepared a fourth meal, her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "Oh, whoops, I didn't mean to. I guess I just forgot that…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes gazed wistfully into the distance. She sighed and continued, "… that Aang's not here."

Katara poured the fourth bowl back into the pot and the three of them ate in awkward silence. Sokka noted that this was the first time they had eaten without talking to each other for quite a while; at least since before Aang had come. He glanced over at Katara and found her sight already set on him. He could sense her question, his caring gaze seeing right through her façade. _It's not the same. We shouldn't have left._

Bato, once again, was out of their picture. But he didn't mind nor care. He was just like them when he was a kid, he and Hakoda were practically inseparable as teenagers. He knew these kids meant no harm to him whatsoever, and that an adult couldn't quite comprehend their nagging problems. He coughed, alerting the children of his decision. "I'm going to go to sleep now." He cast a glance knowingly over at the siblings. "We have a long journey ahead of us. I suggest you two get some rest as well." As he stood up, he silently laughed to himself. He knew much too well that those kids would not sleep anytime soon.

As Sokka watched Bato get up from his sitting rock surrounding the dying campfire, he cast his eyes furtively back to Katara. "Sis… are you doing okay?"

She sighed, turning her face down towards the glowing embers. "Yes. No. I don't know. I jjust haven't quite gotten over the fact that Aang is gone, and that we might never see him again."

Sokka shuffled closer to Katara on the log they were sitting on together. "Hey, don't say that. We're going to see him again, I know it. And remember, Katara, he's okay with us leaving him for now. He's an understanding guy and he wants us to go find our family."

Katara turned her face round to Sokka so that he could see the tears welling in her eyelids.

"But Sokka, that's the thing!" Katara was struggling to talk without choking on her sobs. "Aang _was _family! We were _his _family! Don't you think that what we've just done to him is exactly what Dad did to us? Leaving us alone to fend for ourselves, with no one to help us? Forcing us to take charge? I know that we should find Dad. And don't get me wrong, I still miss him so much. But – but – " Katara cried and fell into Sokka, sobbing into his shoulder. He moved his arms around her arms and embraced her tightly, struggling to keep the tears out of his own eyes. Katara paused her stifled sobs and mumbled into his shoulder, "It just feels wrong, leaving him alone. We were the only people he had for a hundred years, and we've just gone and left him alone again."

Sokka pressed his face against her crown, unable to hold back his torrent of emotion. He knew she was right. Hakoda was their father, but Aang was their _brother._ A goofy, annoying, airbending, childish but wise, caring, sometimes stupid, brother who wasn't of blood but of love. It probably wasn't right for them to have him at the time, but it was ages too alte by this point to go and try and find him again. He would be long gone at this point.

After a minute or two he hoisted his head back up and released his grip from Katara, who had stopped crying and also sat back up. Her tears had left an unfortunate stain in his clothing, but he didn't care. Now wasn't the time for Funny Sokka or Stupid Sokka. Now, it was Older Brother Sokka's time to shine. "Aang's a smart kid. He'll figure his way out to the North Pole and he'll probably get someone to travel with him. We don't have anything to worry about. And think about it. In not too long we'll look back on this and realise this was the best thing that could've happened. We can gather people in the Earth Kingdom to help us fight, and we might even find you a waterbending teacher." Katara still looks unconvinced. "And think of how sweet it will be when we finally see Aang again! We'll have Dad with us and it'll be like he never even left. He'll tell us all about his insane adventures and how he went and beat the Fire Lord with one hand behind his back and _blindfolded!_" Sokka exaggerated this last part with his hands which brought a smile to Katara's face and satisfaction to his heart, knowing he had just succeeded. "And no matter what, if we for some reason never see Dad or Aang again, you'll always have me." He smiled compassionately, causing Katara to giggle slightly.

"You're so _lame _sometimes, Sokka," she teased as she lightly punched him on the arm. "But yeah… likewise."

* * *

The pair said their goodnights, but neither went to sleep right away. Sokka retreated to his tent whilst Katara watch the ceasing rainfall drip over the edge of the outcrop. She had promised Sokka she was going to go to sleep soon but both siblings knew she had no intent of crawling into her sleeping bag just yet

Sokka lay on his sleeping bag, resting his head on his arms. He stared into the darkness above him, contemplating on his future reunion with his father. He wondered if he would be impressed by how much Sokka had grown up. After all, he had taken up the mantle of the head of the tribe when he was still very young in his father's absence. Everything Sokka had done thus far, was only to try and live up to Hakoda's great legacy as chief. Hakoda was a natural born leader and could inspire anyone with his words. His resourcefulness and selflessness were unmatched in the South Pole and as hard as Sokka tried, he felt that he always fell short of his father's feats of greatness.

Hakoda had asked him before he had left to look after his sister and the tribe. But bringing Katara through the Earth Kingdom, risking capture from the Fire Nation and leaving the Southern Water Tribe to the mercy of the Southern Raiders, was he fulfilling his father's wishes? Could he ever truly be a man in his father's eyes if he was risking the safety of Katara and the whole tribe? Hakoda told him before he and the tribesmen left for war that"Being a man is knowing where you're needed most. And for you right now, that's here, protecting your sister." Yet the pleace he was needed most, was in reality to him, by Aang's side. There was the Avatar, the sole saviour of the world, the only person with any hope of beating the Fire Lord, and he had left him alone to fend for himself in an unforgiving theatre of war in exchange for the selfish desire of seeing his dad.

Sokka sighed, rolling onto his side. _We'll just have to wait and see,_ he pondered, shutting his eyes and drifting off to a profound sleep.

* * *

Katara sat on the log staring out into the unknowns of the night, its eerie silence interrupted by the constant dripping of water and the occasional rustling of the nearby bushes from a small nocturnal animal scuttling about. She had collected a small pool of rainwater by her feet in the emergency of an ambush, ready to fling a water whip at the slightest sign of danger. In the meantime, she threaded and looped a thin sliver of water around her fingertips subconsciously, swirling the liquid in figure eights around her digits. Her mind was once again drifting to the boy with the arrow tattoos, and his journey to find a waterbending master. _Spirits_, she thought, _I wish I could learn with him. I'm going to be next to useless if by the time we attack the Fire Nation all I can do is do a stupid water whip._

Instinctively she reached her hand up to her neck, forgetting that her necklace was no longer situated with her and belonged to Aang now. She frowned, feeling vulnerable without the betrothal necklace. She had forgotten how heavily she had relied upon that for so many years as the last proper reminder of her mother Kya but she found solace in the fact that comfort now found itself upon Aang, who needed support now more than ever.

_Aang_. Only a day had passed and still her worry for him piled up. Still, her mind was too preoccupied on him to focus on their task at hand of finding their father. He was stopping her from accepting Bato, stopping her from completing mundane tasks like _serving dinner_, and he was even stopping her from going to sleep. _It's only natural,_ she reasoned, _he _is _supposed to be my best friend after all._

Of course, she couldn't be totally honest with herself when calling Aang 'just her best friend'; she couldn't deny the slightest shift in dynamic regarding her interactions with him ever since leaving Aunt Wu's village.

Katara had been overjoyed to hear her fortune. _I feel a great romance for you,_ Wu had said. _The man you're going to marry, I can see that he is a very powerful bender._ Her happiness had consumed her and she had already begun to mold an idea of her future husband in her mind, as was the nature of her teen brain. But never had she thought that _Aang_ was her prophesised partneruntil an abrupt volcanic eruption threatened to consume the village.

_Katara had merely stood and watched as Aang had defended the village from the incessant stream of magma. He had vaulted high into the air, gathering a whirlwind into his arms and returning to the ground with nothing less than a miniature cyclone. Almost engulfed by the lava, Aang had swirled his arms around viciously, gathering the air and sending a powerful gust with his breath, instantly cooling the fiery liquid into hardened rock surrounding the village ominously before it could be consumed._

_Sokka and Katara stared in awe, marvelling at the immense feat the young kid in front of them had just achieved before Sokka had exclaimed, "Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is."_

_Katara flinched and backpedalled. "Wait – what did you say?"_

_Sokka, still staring at Aang's lonesome figure, sighed. "Nothing. Just that Aang is one powerful bender."_

_Katara looked back to the silhouette of the Avatar against the cooled rock, calming himself down after his draining displays of airbending. "I suppose he is," she had replied, curiously studying the airbender in a new light._

And that was what had done it. The curiosity had set in and Katara's mind was racing. Aang could fight a volcano – and _win. _He was the Avatar for crying out loud, the most powerful bender in the world.

She shook her head. The fortune could be talking about a million different people; it was hardly like Aang was the only powerful bender in the world. Besides, he was her best friend.

And yet, it could all become so normal, so natural, to be more. His inhumane ability to always make her laugh and smile. His goofy nature, his love of fun and his knowledge, wise well beyond his years. The way his innocence would rub off on her, and the way he blushed awkwardly whenever she said his name. She was his confident, the only person he could truly unload emotionally upon about his past, the only person able to calm him from the Avatar State. Those scenes of Aang saving the village had flashed through her mind since that day and had caused ripples in her heart, ripples she wasn't altogether sure would ever subside.

Sighing, she decided she would have to shelve those lucid dreams of hers temporarily for the time being. Aang was her _friend._ Until the moment they (hopefully) meet once more, she would have to learn to cope with him being nothing more. _Still, _she thought to herself, slightly giggling, _one can't resist to imagine time to time._

The waning crescent moon had risen to its prime position within the night time sky when Katara had awoken from her imaginative thoughts. Her eyelids were drooping and her muscles desperately called out to her to take a rest, knowing full well a full day of hiking awaited her tomorrow. She stood up from the log and carefully snuck her way into her sleeping bag, past the long-dead remnants of the campfire and past the curled figure of Sokka, snoring inside his sleeping bag cocoon. She fell asleep quickly, images of Aang still flashing in her mind.

* * *

The trio had been meandering along a winding dirt road within the light forest for what felt like days until they reached the plains. Kneehigh grass stretched as far as the distant mountains situated in the east on the horizon, their next checkpoint. The occasional baobab tree could be seen here and there, with various fauna Katara had never seen before congregating peacefully under their shade to escape the blistering sun. Crossing the savannah would be a draining yet fulfilling walk to the mountains but as necessary as it was to get moving to their checkpoint, it would have to wait.

Bato's foot had been increasingly aggravated over the morning and over the last few miles till the edge of the clearing, he had been heavily limping. It seemed that the sisters at the abbey didn't quite do their job yet Katara was hesitant to acknowledge this out loud, knowing full well of Bato's graciousness towards the nuns for voluntarily healing his burns. Instead, Katara had offered to take Bato back to the monastery a number of times, with him respectfully declining each time.

"I don't want to leave you kids alone in the Earth Kingdom. It's not very safe what with the constant Fire Nation attacks and all and between you and me, your brother can't read a map yet to save his life. Besides, I need to regroup with my brothers in arms," Bato had answered every time, or somewhere along those lines.

The trio reluctantly paused by a small pile of boulders, hiding in the shade for the time being to let Bato recuperate.

"You need help, Bato. You're not going to be able to walk anywhere well without us first fixing your foot," Katara chided, her motherly instincts kicking in.

"Katara, I'll be fine. I've dealt with much worse than a cramped foot."

"Bato, it's clearly more than just a cramp. Let me at least see if I can do anything to help."

While the two were having the conversation, Sokka was climbing up the rocks to obtain a better view of their surroundings. He lifted his hand up to his forehead to block the sun's rays from hitting his eyes when he saw them, not too far in the distance, idly picking at the ground.

"Hey guys!" Sokka called over his shoulder. "I think I got a plan!"

Katara glanced up at her brother, his limps sprawled over the rocks like a demented spider to keep himself from falling down. "Sokka, get down from there! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"Well _sorry_ but while you've been chattering, I've been up here to find a solution from up above. Y'know, being a genius and all. Not all of us are gifted with my brilliant knack for ideas. It's a blessing and a curse," Sokka added dramatically, his feigned solemn attitude drawing a giggle from Katara.

"Okay then, what's this great plan you've got yourself in a fuzz about?"

"Excellent question!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing to the sky with his hand that wasn't shielding his eyes from the sun. His sudden loss of balance caused him to fall flat on his back in front of Katara, who couldn't hold back her laughter. Bato did well to try and stifle a chortle as well.

Sokka stood up, scowling, and dusted his clothes off before continuing. "It's simple. We catch those three ostrich horses I saw over there and ride 'em!"

Katara almost couldn't believe her ears. She had heard her brother come up with many silly and far-fetched ideas, not least of which was him once trying to train an army of five-year-olds to become warriors to protect the village, but this took the cake.

She scoffed at him. "And how do you propose we do that?" Sokka raised his finger about to object when, after a moment of hesitation, began to scratch his chin thoughtfully.

"May I interject?" Bato asked, receiving encouraging looks from Sokka and Katara. "I think I might know how to tame those beasts out there. It's not too hard either. In fact, a year or two ago, your father and I wrangled a few of the beasts so that we could travel to Ba Sing Se. There we were, stranded – " Sokka cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you and Dad went on some heroic mission, blah blah blah. Tell us how to catch those ostrich horses!" Sokka exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.

Bato sighed, but not before Katara caught a sudden gleam in Bato's eye. "Fine then. The trick to catching an ostrich horse is to sneak up on it all quiet like from behind, then jump onto its back suddenly and hey presto, you've caught yourself an ostrich horse!" The corners of Bato's mouth twitched into a small mischievous smile but Sokka didn't notice. He was already peeking out from behind the boulder, sizing up his target.

He interlocked his fingers and pushed out his hands, cracking his knuckles before telling Katara, "This is how you catch an ostrich horse. Watch, and _learn._" He began to slink off into the knee high grass that stretched off the side of the road but as Katara went to follow him, Bato held out an arm and beckoned for her to stop.

"Wait," he grinned. "You might want to stay and enjoy the show."

Katara was puzzled by what he meant but followed Bato's advice, climbing up onto the rocks and sitting down at the top to fully understand what he meant. She could see Sokka's outline within the grass, now no more than 10 metres behind one of the beasts and slinking through the flora like a stealthy snake.

* * *

The beast was standing idly, nibbling on the shrubland and the small insects that had made their lives within the tall blades of grass. It didn't notice the two sets of curious eyes watching it from afar, or the gangly figure approaching it stealthily from behind.

Sokka stood just a metre behind its white tail and still hadn't been noticed. He eagerly awaited his moment to pounce and, just as the ostrich horse began to lift its head back up to a standing position, he leapt.

Yes, Sokka had crept behind the beast, just as Bato said. Yes, he had gotten onto its back, just as Bato said. But he had no information as to what he should actually _do _once on its back. He glanced worryingly over to Bato, who he could see was chuckling to himself. Only then did Sokka horrifically realise what he had just done, and that rather than tamed it he had only aggravated it. He turned his head slowly back towards the beast who had craned its neck to glare furiously towards Sokka.

Sokka laughed nervously. "Good ostrich horse?" And then the mayhem started.

Katara felt a multitude of emotions flow as the mount began bucking and heaving while Sokka clung on for dear life. Embarrassment for her brother, fear for his safety, anger at Bato for not telling Sokka the truth about taming the beasts but above all, she was hysterical. She had to hoist herself down from the rocks else she risked falling off unintentionally from laughter.

"Oh my goodness… Sokka, he's… I can't… oh," she spluttered in between outbursts of laughs. Bato smiled, standing alongside her.

"Now for the real secret," he said slyly, not taking his eyes off of Sokka and his antics. "The _actual _way to tame an ostrich horse is to be calm. They're very gentle and docile animals, but fiercely defensive in dire situations so in order to safely get on one's back, you need it to trust you. Hakoda and I figured this out after being thrown off about twenty different animals." He smiled, reminiscing.

He continued. "You have to approach them from the front. Stand tall, look it in the eyes, and don't back down. Hold a bit of grain out in front of you, with a straight arm, and allow the animal to walk over to you and eat from your palm. While it's eating, you have to slowly reach your hand around to its forehead and give it a slight scratch between the eyes, just above the beak. If all's gone well, he should nuzzle up to your hand and hey presto! You've tamed yourself an ostrich horse!"

* * *

Three hours later, the trio were clopping along down a rocky path. About an hour ago had they crossed the threshold into the mountainous terrain, a lot faster than they had anticipated and a lot more comfortably. After Katara had tamed ostrich horses for her and Bato, she had shown her brother the _correct _way to befriend one of the creatures. Still, the boy and his steed remained at odds at one another, his ostrich horse occasionally bucking to send him flying..

Katara noticed that the once-tense vibe between the three was beginning to lessen. No longer were the siblings as unwillingly hesitant about Bato joining their group in the absence left by Aang. No longer did Bato feel as shunned by the children, and began to instead feel accepted.

The trio kept their steeds continually forward, travelling further into the mountain range with steep cliffs surrounding them on all sides. They stretched upwards into the clouds, their peaks distant points in the heavens that could only have been reached by Appa.

_I bet Aang would've loved these mountains,_ Katara frowned. They looked so much like the mountains surrounding the Southern Air Temple, where Aang had suddenly had his destiny and reality forced upon him by a withering skeleton named Gyatso. That day had cemented his desire to end the war, but also had Katara tethered to the young airbender boy destined to save the world. After all, his job now was to look out for the world, but who was going to look out for him?

It couldn't be her anymore, sadly. Her own destiny had led her astray of Aang's path in life, towards her father and his fleet of fierce and loyal tribesman. She still felt guilt in leaving Aang alone, guilt she wasn't sure would ever completely palliate her, but she felt confident that their diverged paths would merge once more and that she would see him again. She wanted to apologise, whether she needed to or not, for leaving Aang and she didn't know what she'd do if she was robbed of that opportunity.

Their fast headway into their journey already had them a day in front of schedule. Sokka took this as an opportunity to make camp and gather materials so that Katara could weave them basic saddles to make their jjourney a little more comfortable. They had been slipping off ever so slightly and Sokka complained regularly of chafe due to Beaky's coarse hairs. They stopped in a small, wild paddock adjacent to a flowing river and tied the three animals up with a long length of rope Sokka had salvaged from the wreckage of Bato's ship days before. The ostrich horses had a bit of room to roam and were able to reach the water to drink, and Katara came over to them regularly to measure their dimensions to begin weaving with an assortment of narrow tree roots and elongated leaves Sokka had collected from a forest.

About an hour later, they all sat around another campfire, preparing the last of the stewed sea prunes from earlier for dinner. Katara had considered preparing a bit extra food for their mounts but Bato urged her that ostrich horses only really ate grass and bugs, and giving them such food as their own would be a waste. Katara served three bowls of the grub and made sure not to serve a fourth to the reception of warm smiles from Sokka and Bato.

"I must say, it's been quite pleasant so far travelling with you kids," Bato sighed, slumping down onto a tree stump and spooning a sea prune up to his mouth.

Scowling, Sokka grumbled, "Would have been more pleasant if you had told me how to catch the ostrich horses in the first place."

Katara jjust laughed. "Shush up, Sokka, you gotta admit you deserved it at least a little bit for interrupting Bato."

"Yeah, but now look at me! I've got bruises everywhere and now Beaky hates me!" he exclaimed.

Bato looked slightly confused and taken aback. "You… named yours Beaky?"

"Of course I did," Sokka said. "Just because it's an ostrich horse doesn't mean I have to treat it like a _complete _animal. And I figured by naming it, I could try turn over a new leaf with him."

"That's very adult of you Sokka." Bato smiled. He was glad that the mkids were becoming more comfortable around him and that Sokka was returning to his boisterous self. "And I'm glad that you're both starting to accept me a bit more."

That last comment threw both Sokka and Katara off guard. "What do you mean?" Sokka asked, curiously. He and Katara both knew exactly what he meant but had both nonverbally agreed not to mention the underlying tension between them and Bato.

"Bato laughed off the uncomfortable feeling. "Oh come on, we all know what I mean. And don't wirry, I take no offence by any of it." He paused. "This isn't coming out quite as well as I planned. The point is, I know you think I've come and just replaced Aang. That was never my intent. I know how close you two were with him and I never want to ever replace that. But at the same time I'm happy that you both are becoming more friendly with me." He smiled.

Sokka shifted in his seat. "Sorry Bato, it's just that… Aang was like our little brother, you know. And having him gone feels kind of like Dad leaving all over again. Both of us –" he glanced at Katara "—hate that it feels like we've had to choose between our family again, and I guess we've been taking out on you. So, sorry."

Bato had a satisfied expression on his face. "It's quite alright. But if I may say something before I head off to bed, it isn't all too different. Maybe travelling on these ostrich horses is a bit like travelling on Appa?" He winked and before he got up to head to bed, Katara and Sokka looked at each other once more.

Katara sighed, still gazing into Sokka's eyes, both siblings remembering and contemplating Aang's prominent absence. They both still wished he was here and the wound of his departure had only begun to heal.

"Not quite," Katara replied.


	4. The Northern Water Tribe

**Author's Note: This is the start (sort of) of my first 'finale', but realistically it's just me finalising this part of everyone's adventures. After it's all done, I'm really excited to move onto Book 2: Earth as I have some **_**really **_**cool ideas I want to play around with. This is also my first chapter where I'm showing both Aang's story and K+S+B's so please leave some feedback and tell me if you liked this style or not!**

* * *

**NOTE: To recap with Zuko's story, by the time this chapter takes place I am going to say that Zhao has already tried to assassinate him, Zuko stows on a Fire Nation ship, yada yada yada, so that I don't have to completely just rewrite that storyline in here word for word.**

* * *

Aang could tell they were getting closer.

Whether it was the gradually colder temperatures of the atmosphere, the occasional patches of drifting ice or the nacreous clouds shining with the evening sun, he could tell he and Appa were edging further towards the North Pole.

They had spent the better part of two days flying, and both airbender and bison were exhausted. Appa had been flying non-stop and despite the decreased weight on his back with only one passenger he was extremely tired. Aang shared a similar sentiment despite his easier run of luck and work required. He had been struggling to maintain rationing his meagre food supplies for he and Appa, as he had ended up overfeeding Appa to compensate for his high work load. Whatever food he had left he also had to share with Momo, who was unfortunately being a picky eater and would turn his snout up at most delicacies placed in front of him.

The loneliness had not done Aang any good either. His pastime of staring up at the clouds had bored him to death and he had begun talking to Momo. Journeys like these, he fully realised his desire for Katara and Sokka to be travelling with him and lately, he had been gripping onto that necklace for his salvation to retrieve the memories of his family and to usher away his sensation of loneliness.

Fortunately, the isolation gave Aang ample time to practice bending. He slowly began to perfect the water whip with sea water he had collected from the cliffside he was at before, and learned that in order to make it more powerful he really had to let his energy flow, something that was fairly familiar to him as an airbender. He also spent his time meditating and trying to learn more about the Spirit World, often spending hours at a time sitting with his legs crossed, trying to escape his physical confines. It did him no good, however. He figured he was still too spiritually inexperienced enough to tap into the strange reality at will, much like his inability to summon or control the Avatar State.

That was a question that he had pondered more than once as well. What was to happen if he were to enter the Avatar State, if Katara was no longer there to calm him down and snap him back to reality? For the past few months, Katara had solidified herself as Aang's anchor to reality, the only one able to tame his spirit when he found the deceased body of his father figure, Monk Gyatso. Now that he was without her, he worried about what would happen if he were to lose control, with no one there to help him contain himself, how much carnage he could bring upon the world. The thought made him shudder. It scared him, as an airbender, to possess such power and to have the ability to cause harm and take lives with such easy. But such was the burden of being the Avatar, he supposed.

* * *

The boy and his animal companions drifted further through the morning skies, and Aang noted that the number of icebergs he could see was exponentially increasing. _We must be close_, he thought to himself. Whether it was out of knowledge and intuition or from hope and vain, he could not tell. But he urged Appa to descend towards the sea level, to investigate the icebergs more closely.

He heard them before he saw them. A rumbling from below Appa awoke Aang from his passive state and pulled the reins to the right just as a large tower of ice shot up from the water below them. Aang was yelling and gripped Appa's reins with such intensity that his knuckles were turning red. Before Aang could react, another blast of ice emerged and entrapped Appa's leg, causing him to lose momentum and crash into the sea.

Aang and Appa tried to react quickly but just as Appa had returned to an upright position within the ocean, the water around them froze solid trapping the bison in the water. Aang swivelled his head left and right in search of his assailants, grabbing his glider in one hand and holding it defensively in front of him.

"Who's out there?" Aang bellowed, his airbending projecting his voice over the vast sea. "I'm just trying to get to the North Pole to find a teacher! I'm the Avatar!"

At that, wooden canoes adorned with intricate moon carvings began to appear from behind various icebergs. Each held about eight people, all wearing blue fur coats and boots and all of them had black hair, much like Katara and Sokka. The realisation hit Aang suddenly.

_They must be waterbenders! _His mind was racing, excited at the prospect of his journey finally being over. _We must have found the Northern Water Tribe!_ He blasted into the air and landed lightly upon the small ice field.

The tribesmen standing upon the canoes looked at Aang with a mixture of wonder, bewilderment, and disappointment. Yes, he was the Avatar and after 100 years he had finally come to visit the Northern Water Tribe but there were still those among the waterbenders, specifically the older generations of men there, that felt betrayed by the Avatar's disappearance and they wore that disdain on their faces. Out of the group of men, a sole figure stood from the boats onto the icy plain. He was tall, taller than Sokka, with a well-defined physique and most of his shoulder-length jet black hair loosely tied into a ponytail, with a long braid dangling over the left side of his face.

"Greeting, Avatar," the man said, approaching Aang. "I welcome you to our humble domain, on behalf of Chief Arnook." He extended a hand and Aang shook it. "My name is Ren. I apologise sincerely for the ambush but as you know, we are at war. We must take every precaution." He turned around and dissolved the ice around Appa so that he was free to swim, but leaving a large patch of frost where he and Aang stood.

Ren bent himself a wave and rode it over to his old canoe. "Come," he beckoned, "follow us to the Northern Water Tribe. Arnook and Pakku will be pleased with your arrival."

Aang airbent himself back ontop of Appa and followed Ren's canoe, which had just taken off into the chilly waters. The rest of the boats surrounded Aang and Appa, their occupants eyeing the airbender warily. Aang just smiled and waved.

Before long, Aang arrived at an enormously large wall with an emblem of the moon and sea etched into its surface. It connected two large cliffs that stretched abnormally high, with small guard posts placed on each. The wall was also fortified albeit a lot more heavily than the cliffs, with guards upon guards milling around the top. It spanned about 10 metres wide and was compromised of thick, compacted ice, a likely reason as to why the Fire Nation had never been able to properly breach the city.

A hole in the wall was bent open by the canoe riders, allowing the bison access to the Northern Water Tribe. Ren and the men in canoes remained outside the entrance, presumably to return to their posts, and nodded to Aang as they entered the hole. Aang stared up at the ceiling in wonder, as if its icy concavity were the greatest feat of architecture he had ever seen. After making their way through a great canal lock and a large gate that was retracted by waterbending, Aang was able to truly appreciate his surroundings.

Houses, buildings, bridges all spanned the expanse of the canyon-esque hole the Northern Water Tribe sat in, and all of them were made from the same crystal ice. People milled about, children played, traders mounted on top of buffalo yaks marched, and all of them turned their heads to view the Avatar and his procession. Canals spanned the entirety of the city, the flowing rivers intersecting every block of land and all of them leading up to the furthest point of the city, where a terrific monument of ice sat towering above the lowly buildings of the citizens. Aang could not see it in great detail from his distance and due to parts of its majesty being obscured by residential houses but the great totem poles of ice guarding the front stairs to the palace indicated that it held cultural importance to the city.

_Katara and Sokka would've loved it here, _Aang thought. His mind went back to the Southern Water Tribe and its current decrepit state due to constant Fire Nation raids. The two tribes could not be more disparate physically, and he wondered why the Northerners did nothing to help their sister tribe these past 100 years, a point he would certainly put forward to Chief Arnook if he met him.

As he and Appa were being led through the canals towards the palace, he noticed a strange lady travelling with a waterbending escort on a gondola. What was strange about her was not only the fact that her coat was a light purple in contrast to the hues of blue found on other jackets, but her snow white hair, something Aang had never seen in a Water Tribe citizen before _or_ after his 100 years in the iceberg. She wore an ornate hairpiece to model her white locks and hidden below her collar, Aang could spot a betrothal necklace, much like Katara's. He immediately grasped for it, wanting confirmation that he had still not yet lost it and that it had not suddenly teleported itself around the girl's neck. _Sokka would've liked her, she's very pretty._

A few minutes later, Aang's escort stopped at an igloo on the outskirts of the royal palace, to his surprise. He had assumed wrong that he would receive an immediate audience with the Chief, but he was to be rudely denied right off the bat. Instead, he grumpily followed the escort as he brought them to what he assumed was their temporary home, with a large stable outside suitable for Appa.

"Your residence, Avatar." The escort bowed before them, ushering them to the door with his hands. "Please make yourself at home. The Chief has invited you to a special feast in honour of your arrival at sunset. Until then," the escort looked back up with an earnest smile, "is there anything I can do for you?"

Aang contemplated, glad that he would soon see the Chief and hopefully find a waterbending teacher soon, but annoyed that after two days of non-stop travel, he'd have nothing to do.

"Do you have any way of sending letters up here?" he enquired.

"But of course, Avatar! Would you like me to send a message to someone?"

"Yes please! But I, uh, I need to write it first so if you wouldn't mind… uh…" Aang paused, hesitant to be asking for things so soon after arriving. But his escort paid no heed.

"If you need paper and ink, they are located just inside your hut. When you wish to send your letter, find me at the feast tonight and I will mail it immediately!" The escort briskly nodded and headed back to his gondola, leaving Aang to his words.

* * *

With brush in hand and parchment on the desk in front of him, Aang contemplated what to write. He had at best about three hours until he had to head to the palace for the welcoming feast, and he decided to use this time to write a note to Katara and Sokka.

His first problem was figuring out where to address it to. He last knew that Bato, Sokka and Katara were heading towards Chameleon Bay to plan the invasion and meet their father, but he was unsure if the letter would reach them by the time they arrived. But he had no other guide to go off of, and just in case, he chose to write a second letter that he would take with him and hand-deliver to the Water Tribe children when he next saw them.

He dabbed his brush onto his ink palette and wrote 'Chameleon Bay' alongside the date so that Katara and Sokka could keep a timeline of his progress.

_To Katara and Sokka,_

_I hope you guys are safe back at Chameleon Bay reading this and that you're reunited with your dad, and that your journey there was alright._

_As for my journey, you'd never believe what the North Pole is like! It's this massive city of ice and there's so many waterbenders. I should find a master up here no problem! I also met a firebender the other day named Jeong Jeong, who used to be a member of the Fire Nation army. He went into hiding and he taught me a little bit of firebending before I accidentally burned Appa. Oops? Anyways, I think we should try and find him for the invasion, he's a really strong man and I reckon he'd help us. If you want to find him he's in the Northern Earth Kingdom near a Fire Nation colony._

_I still miss you two all the time. I forgot how boring flying alone was until you two left. Now I'm spending days at a time not talking to anyone and it's not exactly the most entertaining thing._

_Sorry, I went a bit off track. Just know that I miss you both so much._

_From yours truly,_

_Avatar Aang_

_(P.S. Thanks again Katara for the necklace, it really helps me a lot and reminds me of you.)_

* * *

The sun had begun to sink over the jagged cliffs of the city as Aang strided towards the main building of the city, holding his scroll in his hand and his glider in the other. As he walked, he could feel the questioning gazes of almost everyone in the city. They wondered who he was and why he wore blue arrow tattoos across his body and for those who recognised him as the Avatar, they wondered why he only turned up now.

He arrived at the palace and jumped up a great flight of icy stairs, almost slipping after a shoddy landing. There, a procession of watertribesmen awaited outside the main entrance and all turned to face Aang upon his arrival. Within the procession Aang could recognise Ren, standing beside a slightly aging man with braids and a thick beard. He wore a necklace embellished with sharp teeth and a large emblem of the tribe, the moon and ocean, and Aang realised that this must mean he was the chief.

"Welcome, Avatar. My people and I have been awaiting your arrival for the past 100 years," the chief exclaimed. He wore a warm smile and extended his hand for a shake. "I am Chief Arnook. Alongside me here is Ren, who I believe you've already met." Aang looked over at Ren. He stood deadly still and wore a blank expression, nodding briefly upon hearing his name.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Aang," he replied, returning the shake with a toothy grin.

Arnook placed his other arm around Aang's shoulders and gently pushed him inside. "This way, Aang. The feast is about to begin."

Aang was led through to a large open-air banquet hall, with long tables situated around a central area where a large carcass of meat was being cooked. Opposite Aang's table was an elevated platform with an exquisite water fountain behind it, splaying water into the evening air. Appa and Momo were permitted at the feast, and Appa was served an exuberant amount of leaves to eat to the left of the head table. Momo just sat on Aang's shoulder, nibbling off his scraps.

The chief, who had been sitting to his right, stood up to give a direct address to the crowd at the banquet. "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of someone who many of us believed disappeared from our world until now." He motioned his arms toward Aang, who awkwardly smiled and waved. "The Avatar!" His speech was met with applause and cheers from the guests.

"We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday," Arnook followed, stepping backwards and displaying his daughter who had just arrived. Aang recognised her immediately from the gondola he had passed by earlier during his entry to the city. The chief then followed, "Princess Yue is now of marrying age."

"Yue smiled and took her turn to address the crowd. "Thank you father. May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times."

Arnook beamed fondly at his only daughter and continued. "Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!"

Aang's gaze turned towards the platform, where an old man with long, fraying hair stood with two younger men, one of which Aang recognised immediately as Ren. He stood to the left of the master and the three waterbenders began an intricate dance, weaving a large glob of water between them in an impressive feat of waterbending.

* * *

As the feast subsided and the benders finished their dance, Arnook beckoned Aang towards the old master who stood by his lonesome near the fountain. The chief took it upon himself to introduce the two faces.

"Master Pakku, meet your newest student, the Avatar."

Aand bowed respectfully to the old master, who regarded him with an unimpressed gaze. "Just because you're the Avatar, don't expect any special treatment."

Aang glanced back up, unfazed by Pakku's meagre daze. "I can't wait to start training with you, after I relax for a couple of days." He shrugged nonchalantly, a gesture that didn't please his new master.

'If you want to relax, then I suggest visiting a tropical island. If not, I'll see you at sunrise. Goodnight." Master Pakku turned on his heel and began to walk out of the banquet hall. Aang looked back to Arnook, who could do nothing but shrug at Pakku's attitude.

Aang continued to walk around the palace, admiring the careful craftmanship that went into the design of the building before stumbling upon Yue, who was wallowing in her own solitude and staring at the moon upon a balcony. She wore a sad expression, and Aang's curiousity got the best of him.

"What are you doing up here?"

Yue jumped in her skin, never hearing the young Avatar approach. She groaned, annoyed that she had been caught alone but entertained by the childish nature of the airbender.

"I'm sorry, I just needed some time to myself. Today is a hard day for me. I am Princess Yue," she sighed, looking into the storm-grey eyes of Aang.

"I'm Aang," he replied nonchalantly, before cocking his head and noticing the small pools of tears collected in the corner of her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Yue sighed, returning her gaze back up to the moon. "As I'm sure you heard from my father, I'm now of marrying age. I am to marry Hahn, who is a great and brave man." But there was something in her voice, the slight inflection in her voice when she said 'marry', her downcast expression upon acknowledging what should be excellent news.

Aang put two and two together. "You don't love him, do you?" He may only be twelve, but he was no stranger to recognising these emotions.

Her face fell into her hands, and he heard a gentle sob. "You're right, I don't. But I have to do it for the tribe. It's my duty to my people."

Aang walked up to the railing Yue's elbows were leaning on and rested his own arms on there, his chin resting on his forearms. "I know how that must feel. I never really wanted to be the Avatar and now everyone's expecting me to save the world but I'm still just a kid." He took a deep breath. "You're very selfless to take on that responsibility for your tribe. Your dad must be really proud."

Simple words of support from a twelve-year-old, yet to Yue they signified so much more. No-one in her tribe fully understood the position she was in but she was glad that she could find solace in this young Avatar. Glancing over at him, she saw his eyes drift upwards to the moon, his eyes grey as storm clouds. But something blue, contrasting with his red and yellow robes, caught her attention.

"Why are you wearing a betrothal necklace?" she giggled, a small smile creeping on the edges of her mouth. "Aren't you a little young for that and… you know… a boy?"

Aang was startled, much like Yue ever. He sprang upright and his right hand reached for the necklace and gripped it tightly. "What, this? Oh, no it's not mine, it's my friends. It used to be her mothers who got it from _her _mother – She gave it to me to remember her by while I'm away but I'm planning on giving it back to her – well, not _giving-_giving it back to her, I'm not proposing or anything – well at least not yet anyways – besides I don't even think she likes me that way and-" He clamped his hand over his mouth. "I really need to stop talking so much. I'm sorry for unloading all of that, I didn't realise I'd had all that trapped up inside me."

Yue laughed, unable to keep a calm demeanour around the clumsy airbender. "Oh Aang," she chortled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just so…" She paused her laughter to think of what to say. "This girl, does she know you like her?"

Aang's shoulders slumped and he returned to his position on the railing. "I don't know. I've never told her."

Yue pondered. "Well, I think she does and if she doesn't, she's a foolish girl," she smiled, enjoying talking to the Avatar as if he was a baby brother in need of love advice.

His face lit up. "You do?" He coughed and composed himself, and this time he tried to speak with a lot less enthusiasm and delight and tried to sound more laid back. "You do, huh?"

"Sure. A betrothal necklace is a very sacred thing to everyone in the Water Tribes, so your friend must care about you a lot if she gave you hers. What's her name?"

Aang hesitated before continuing. "Katara. From the Southern Water Tribe. I was travelling with her and her brother for two months or so before I came up here, and we had to split apart so that they could find their dad. You would've loved her, Yue," he said dreamily, clearly fantasising about this girl Yue had never met.

"I'm sure I would've, Aang. Maybe after this war is over you can come back here with her and you can introduce me?"

"Of course! Once the war is over I'm gonna visit all over the place so I'll make sure I come by!" He grinned broadly at the princess, his moods clearly brightened. His positivity was intoxicating, Yue felt. Just by looking at his expression of delight she had already lifted her spirits regarding her marriage.

"Well, Avatar Aang, it was a pleasure to meet you for the first time. But I really should get going, my father wanted to talk with me." She bowed before Aang, and trotted back inside the palace. Aang remained outside on the balcony for a few minutes longer, pondering what Yue had said to him.

"Does she really like me too?"

* * *

"You're moving the water around, but you're not feeling the push and pull."

Aang closed his lips tightly together as he struggled to keep the water under his control. "I'm trying!" he breathed, through his clenched jaw. He hated all of Pakku's cryptic teachings and sayings like that. He had to deal with them all morning and they were somehow getting to his nerves. He was even worse than Monk Gyatso!

Pakku slurped up his bowl of squid and noodles that he had been slowly stirring and glanced over at the airbender, clearly struggling with waterbending. "Maybe that move is too advanced for you. Why don't you try an easier one?"

Aang threw his water to the ground and grunted in anger. It wasn't normal for Aang to lose his calm demeanour like this, but Pakku was just so _infuriating. _He wasn't even telling Aang what to do and how to feel the push and pull, he just assumed Aang would have to figure it out for himself.

Pakku sighed and stood up. "You are too out of tune with your own chi. You are used to, as ain airbender, of being free of your own physical and environmental limitations. But you must understand that as air is the element of freedom, water is the element of change. One is not interchangeable with the other. You must let the chi in your body flow freely and adapt to change, rather than evading and escaping. Turn your opponent's attacks against them, let your own body flow. I'm sure by now you would have heard of jing?"

Aang hesitated, then nodded. "I'm familiar. Positive jing is about attacking, negative is about defending or evading, and neutral is all about patience."

Pakku nodded. "Indeed, Avatar. Airbending relates to negative jing in that you only resort to attacks with absolutely necessary, otherwise you will prefer to evade attacks than rebut them. Waterbending is about both positive and negative jing and the fluidity in which you change from one to the other. Turn your offence into your defence, and vice versa."

The cogs were turning, albeit slowly, in Aang's head. "So to waterbend well I have to sort of flow and adapt as I go?"

Pakku nodded. "Precisely." He began to walk off towards the palace entrance. "I suggest we take a break. Return in half an hour."

But Aang didn't listen. He spent his break training, letting the water flow, his body adapting as he manipulated the liquid around his body. Unbeknownst to him, a familiar set of eyes was watching this promising display.

Aang heard the footsteps before he saw Ren. The young man walked towards Aang with an unreadable expression on his face, striding without purpose nor laziness. He approached Aang, eyeing him up and down as he paused his waterbending routine. "Widen your stance and limber your legs," he said in a monotonous voice. "You'll be more free with the water."

Aang did as he said, and let his thighs slacken. He tried the movement again and as he waved his arms around his body he felt his chi move through his body more fluently, reflecting an increased speed in his water movements.

"Uh, thanks, Ren," Aang stammered, unsure what Ren's intent was. He had remained the biggest mystery of the Northern Water Tribe to Aang so far, never letting any emotion escape him whatsoever and always acting in an extremely civil, courteous manner. Aang received a curt nod from Ren as he stood with his hands transfixed, watching the Avatar waterbend.

He gave no negative criticisms of Aang's techniques, only improvements he could Aang. He spoke matter-of-factly, and would give a short nod when Aang performed a move smoothly. And up from the top of the stairs of the palace, Master Pakku gave a rare smile, watching his greatest protégée train his newest pupil.

* * *

Ren arrived into the throne room-esque area, where the council made all their decisions and laws, at exactly midnight just like Pakku had asked. He had not been told of the contents of the meeting precisely, but he knew it was of grave importance.

In the throne room stood only two members: Pakku, who was one of Arnook's closest advisors, and Arnook himself, who stood with his arms crossed, muttering something obscure to Pakku. His head tilted towards Ren upon noticing his arrival, and Pakku followed suit.

"Ren. Glad you could make it," Pakku said with a troubled frown.

"I came as soon as I could. What would you like to discuss?"

The two elders glanced at one another before Arnook started. "We have some very bad news for you and the rest of the Water Tribe. A scout from the icecaps has recently informed us that a Fire Nation fleet will arrive at the North Pole by tomorrow. We suspect that they want the Avatar."

Ren was shocked. "I knew it!" He cast an annoyed glare towards the two and continued with an out-of-character tone of anger. "I told you _years_ ago that if the Avatar ever came, we should not welcome him. I said he would only ever bring bad will between us and the Fire Nation, and now look at this!"

Pakku furiously eyed down Ren, causing him to back down from his relentless anger. "Watch your tongue, boy. None of us could have predicted this would happen and you knew that if the Avatar chose to come here to learn waterbending, we would have no choice but to accept him and bring him within our walls."

Arnook took up where Pakku left off, in a more sympathetic tone. "The Avatar is our best chance at ending this war. We could deny him entry if it meant our _temporary_ survival and now that he is here, we believe that we must do everything in our power to protect him. If he dies then the Avatar Cycle will forever be thrown out of balance, as no one will be able to teach the next reincarnate airbending."

Ren grunted but he knew they were both right. "So what? Did you call me down here in the middle of the night just to tell me this?"

Pakku frowned. "Of course not. You're a smart boy, you know better. When the firebenders breach the wall-" Ren was about to protest before Pakku raised a hand, "- and they _will _break the wall, our ice cannot withstand their fire for that long, I need you to make sure that all citizens are secure in their homes. I would recommend getting another soldier to do this for you, as we have another task for you."

Ren arched an eyebrow. Arnook continued again. "I ask you, Ren. Not as a chief and not as your friend, but as a father… I need you to watch Yue and make sure she is safe." He grimaced. "I know it is selfish for me as Chief to care more about my own daughter than other citizens but I cannot lose her."

Ren nodded in agreement, understanding the significance of Yue's survival. Arnook brought him in for a great hug, wordlessly conveying his gratitude towards his most loyal and subservient warrior.

Ren broke the embrace after a minute. He could see that Pakku looked uncomfortable and that something else was on his mind, but he realised it may be best to discuss whatever it is in private if he was hesitant to bring it up in front of Arnook. Ren cleared his throat. "I think it's best if we all go to sleep now. It seems we will all have a long day tomorrow." Arnook agreed, bidding the two a good night and walking up the steps towards his living quarters.

Once Arnook had disappeared up the stairs, Pakku walked and approached him. He gestured with his eyes that they should discuss this outside rather than indoors, so Ren chose to sit on the top of the great flight of stairs, with Pakku standing behind him.

They remained like that for a minute, neither party wishing to talk. Finally, Ren broke the silence. "What was bothering you in there so much in there, Master?"

"You did a good job of training with the Avatar today. He seems to be learning a lot better from you than he ever was with me."

"Where are you going with this?"

The old man sighed, stroking his thin grey beard. "As I'm sure you're well aware, the Avatar must leave soon." Ren nodded to acknowledge his understanding. "You may also have noticed thst our Avatar is far from a waterbending master." Ren's eyes gradually widened as he put together what Pakku was asking of him. "So, as much as I regret asking, I-"

"_No._"

Pakku looked slightly taken aback. "No? But you didn't even know what I was going to ask!"

Ren stood up, turning around so that Pakku could meet his glare. "You were going to ask me if I would go with the Avatar to train him, right? Well, my answer is no. My life is here in the Northern Water Tribe and I'm not going to leave for some kid."

Pakku's rage was growing. He spat, "This _kid_ you're discussing, is not only the most powerful person on the planet spare the Fire Lord, but the only hope we have in ending this war. So I suggest you put your personal needs behind you and think about what needs to be done for the greater good."

Ren stood his ground. "When my father left the tribe, I swore an oath of loyalty _willingly _to Arnook. My duty goes to him first and foremost, and any child Avatars will have to settle for second."

Pakku was overcome with anger by this point. "You selfish boy! I didn't train a baby!" His words cut through Ren's confidence like a hot knife through butter. Pakku took a minute to compose himself, and continued. "I know that your service is devoted to helping Arnook, but are you really helping him by not protecting our one chance of ending this war? I know it's much to ask of you but just like your role in protecting Yue tomorrow, you are the only one capable of this feat."

Ren contemplated this for a moment before coming up with a feeble excuse. "Why don't you go instead?"

Pakku just smiled. "The days for this old bag of bones ended a long time ago. You're twenty. You've got age, strength, everything on your side. And it won't be too long until you've surpassed me in waterbending as well, I believe." His tone got serious again. This is your destiny, Ren. You will play a bigger role in this war than I could have ever thought possible, but the Avatar's arrival has confirmed it."

Ren sighed, understanding properly what was asked from him, yet one thought still lingered in his mind. "What is I… what if I see _him _again?"

"You will know if the time comes." Pakku was about to leave before whipping back around. "Follow me," he said. "I believe I have information that could be of great use to you." Pakku paused when they reentered the palace, and stared Ren intently in the eyes.

"Have you ever heard of the Order of the White Lotus?"

* * *

Ren was sure that by now, he had explored every nook and cranny within the palace. Clearly, he was _very _wrong.

Pakku led him down into the depths of the palace, before turning a knob hidden behind a bookshelf to reveal a secret room illuminated with candles and adorned with pictures of a flower. A white lotus, to be exact.

"First and foremost: you are not to tell anyone aside from the Avatar what you have seen here tonight. This room is to remain a secret to the world, and so is everything I'm about to tell you." Pakku's words were filled with dread and concern.

Ren was short for words. For what felt like the first time in a while, he was completely lost and had lost all sense of a calm demeanour. "Master… Master, what is this?" he asked in bewilderment, beginning to look around the room properly.

"The Order of the White Lotus is a secret society that transcends the borders of the four nations. We as a society seek the beauty and truth of the world, and choose to share ancient knowledge across political and national divides."

Ren was walking around the room in wonder and disbelief, admiring the maps posted on the walls with circles or dots pinpricked across the parchment, or scrolls tattered at the edges stacked in heaps upon table tops. _It certainly seems secret society-like,_ thought Ren. "So why bring me here to your hideout?"

"At times, our society has been tasked with protecting and training the Avatar. Most recently this happened after the death of Avatar Kuruk, when the world was in disarray and Kyoshi was in potential harm. We believe that Aang is in a similar scenario, so we have decided to begin to secretly intervene with the path of fate.

"I am one of the highest ranking members within the Order. Within my rank are masters of the highest calibre of all kinds of combat: waterbending, earthbending, firebending, even those without bending. They have all sent word to me warning of a growing prescence of the Fire Nation within the Earth Kingdom, leading me to believe that they will aim to finish this war quickly."

Pakku stopped again, unsure whether to continue with this next part. Ren was listening intently, understanding the situation his master was in. While still surprised about his master's involvement in a secret society, he appreciated that he was concerned with the safety of the world.

And so he continued, careful not to mince his words. "As you are his waterbending teacher now, Aang must quickly find an earthbending and firebending teacher to train him in time for the end of the war. My brothers in arms will be willing to teach the Avatar alongside you."

Pakku walked over to an ancient wooden closet, and grabbed a large scroll resting against its frame. He unfurled it upon the table to reveal three circled spots, among many smaller crosses. "Here on this map, I have scribed the location of some of the Order's safehouses across the planet but also the three people who I suggest approaching about tutelage. When you leave with Aang, you are to take this map with you as well as," Pakku reached over to a small drawer and removed a Pai Sho tile, "this. This tile will grant you access to our safehouses."

He pointed to the first circled area, in the south-western Earth Kingdom. "There lies the city of Omashu. King Bumi is an earthbender who was once a friend of Aang." He moved his finger further north to a small colony, where a circle with a cross was placed. "Here lies a firebender named Jeong Jeong but he is no longer willing."

Finally, Pakku moved his finger to the final circle, placed outside the map with question mark sitting next to the marking. "We don't know where this member is exactly at the moment, but he is my final suggestion."

Pakku paused for a third time and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing. Ren was growing ever curious and prised further. "Who is it, Master? Who's the third circle?"

Pakku slowly reopened his eyes, gazing thoughtfully at the map.

"Iroh," he said adamantly. "General Iroh, of the Fire Nation. He will teach the Avatar firebending."

* * *

Despite his initial predisposition, Pakku had to admit that the boy had _serious _skill. Only once did he see natural ability even remotely close to that of the Avatar, and that was of the young man he had trained from the age of five.

Aang had already mastered several of the forms he and Ren had set for him, yet despite the continuous flow of new challenges and objectives, the Avatar still found the time to goof off and become distracted. So Pakku had him spar against his older, more disciplined students in order to test his abilities and even though he still retained his tendencies to evade, he managed to best them all without raising a sweat.

Pakku sighed. He held such potential yet couldn't comprehend the vast capabilities of his powers as Avatar. His childish tendencies still interfered with his duty as the Avatar, a trait that would surely be kicked out of him when his training really amped up. Pakku could understand now why Avatars were normally announced at 16 rather than at Aang's premature age. They still needed time to enjoy their youth and grow as a person, yet the responsibilities were choking Aang's free-natured spirit.

His eyes drifted to Ren, who was silently surveying Aang's progress in training. He knew Ren bore a heavy burden upon him, now having to travel with the Avatar and conceal the secret that was the Order. Ren was a capable man, and Pakku had already discusses with Arnook of his arrangement to leave with the Avatar, but a nagging in the back of his mind felt that Ren was still not yet ready to see the world, still not yet ready to risk facing his past. But Pakku held his esteemed student in high regard and if anyone could teach the Avatar waterbending, it would be him.

But something snapped Pakku out of his thoughts. Ren noticed it as well, from his standing position at Pakku's side. And Aang noticed it also, after a brief session of playing in the snow with his little flying lemur.

He didn't want to believe it. But he knew it would have happened sooner or later.

Grey snow was falling. Soot.

The Fire Nation had arrived.

* * *

It had been over a week since the unfurling of tensions between Bato and Hakoda's children, and things had been flowing smooth as ever. They had made decent progress through the Earth Kingdom (but not quite on the same level as Appa would've, Sokka had told him when planning their route) and were greeted with welcoming attitudes from all Earth Kingdom villages they had visited thus far. As he liked to say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' and this statement had never been more true until now.

They had collected tokens of appreciation throughout their travels, like clothes dyed in green and brown hues to blend in with the locals and various morsels of food, as well as gold and silver pieces to pay whatever Fire Nation patrols wandered by that claimed they were 'collecting tax.' They were just about sick of these scombags invading the Earth Kingdom that Katara couldn't help but wish that the invasion day was closer just so she could get some payback.

Sokka had greatly appreciated Bato's involvement in the group. He had grown up for the past sixteen years without a father figure of any form to look up to, so he was eager to learn what it was to be a man from the Southern Water Tribe. Bato taught him how to read and write maps, how to improve his boomerang technique, how to hunt more efficiently and most importantly, how to talk to girls. Sokka considered this last bit vitally important should he ever miraculously stumble upon Suki again. He didn't want to be the same clumsy fool he was back on Kyoshi Island, where he had insulted her and her culture. He still kept the headpiece he wore as a Kyoshi Warrior, the rest of the uniform had been sold for money not too long ago in a desperate trade. It was a nice memento of the girl he had left behind in the war.

Katara also enjoyed Bato's prescence more and more, but could never quite shake the feeling that he had replaced Aang. It was annoying, she knew, and such feelings of dislike would surely come back to bite her but she couldn't help it. She still missed the airbender but her emotions had tamed quite a bit since their initial split.

Their ostrich horses had also received a light upgrade. They had received proper saddles with reins and storage compartments, features that were a great improvement upon Katara's makeshift plant-based solution.

Over the last two days, Bato had been telling extravagant tales of his maraudings through the Earth Kingdom, and his life as a warrior in the war. Initially, Hakoda had been hesitant to leave the South but after Kya was killed by Fire Nation troops, he felt compelled to seek out revenge for his late wife. He and the other men in the tribe left to the southern and western parts of the Earth Kingdom, where they acted as a paramilitary group and taking it upon themselves to engage in guerrilla warfare against the invaders.

Bato told them of how they would sometimes leave large bombs in river mouths that would detonate upon the touch of a warship, or how they would sneak up on squads of men and ambush them stealthily, using their previous hunting expertise to their advantage. But they always sat on a back foot for two major reasons. One, the Fire Nation was always prepared. Whether it be the higher standard of equipment they carried or the seemingly endless droves of troops that came onto Earth Kingdom soil, the watertribesmen were almost always underprepared. Second, their group had a notable lack of waterbenders. All the waterbenders in the South spare Katara had been taken by the time of Kya's death, meaning that the warriors were outmatched individually by a firebender. With a solemn voice, Bato told them of the men who had passed away during their conflict including his younger brother.

Bato was in the middle of telling them of his penultimate fight with a firebender that led to his hospitalisation within the abbey when the trio spotted a small Earth Kingdom village up ahead. The sun was beginning to set, and they unanimously agreed without saying anything that resting there for the night was the best course of action.

The town was relatively small, much like the settlement they visited that was being plagued by the spirit, Hei Bai. The town was centred around a large cultural building serving as a hall and meeting place for its inhabitants and had a few wide streets leading down towards with houses and stalls lining the sides. It would have been a quaint town, perhaps a peaceful place to settle down.

The trio wandered down the main street and looked around at the various stalls. There were people selling many things: hats, quill and ink, cabbages, even 'spiritual' totems that were meant to ward off evil. They weren't quite alone in the street however, as a pair of firebenders began to saunter down the main street towards the booths. They stopped in front of a merchant selling exquisite jewellery, and from Katara's distance she could vaguely listen in onto their conversation.

"It's time to pay up, Pa Ming," the first of the two demanded, sneering. He wore Fire Nation armour with a golden headband, making it clear to all who liad eyes of him that he bore more positional power than the regular Fire Nation troop accompanying him wearing the typical skull-like helmet. "It's time to pay up. Your protection tax is due."

The man named Pa Ming raised his hands in protest. "Please, business has been slow lately! I don't have any money to give you, just let me-" He never got to finish.

The helmeted firebender snatched all of the jewellery left lying on the red velvet cushion displays and threw it all into a linen sack, while the unmasked one's hand lit up with a small flame. "Such a shame about your store. Without that money, we weren't able to _protect _it." He sniggered, and threw his fire onto the wooden beams supporting the blanket acting as a roof, setting the place alight instantly. Pa Ming quickly scampered out the back of the hut, whimpering, as the Fire Nation bullies laughed and began to walk back out of the village.

Katara watched this all with shock and regret. How could they be so mean to a poor villager? But more importantly, why didn't she do anything to help? She knew that if Aang had have been there that stall surely wouldn't be alight any longer.

Unbeknownst to Katara, Bato and Sokka, the nearby hat salesman had witnessed the affair as well. He gave a loud cough and once the trio had noticed him, he beckoned them quietly to come over.

"You guys aren't from around here, are you?"

They all were taken aback at how quickly their disguises had been found out, but Sokka carried on. "Of course we are! We're Earth Kingdom, born and bred! Boy I just love the earth and its dirtiness and hardness and-" Katara put up a hand to hush him.

"You're right, we're not. We're from the Southern Water Tribe." She beckoned towards Sokka who had his mouth agape from Katara slipping their secret and Bato, who was looking over his shoulders to see if any unwanted ears were listening in. She continued. "This is my brother, Sokka, and our friend, Bato."

The face of the salesman lit up. "Aha! People from the Water Tribe! How wonderful!" His face suddenly distorted to a negative look, eyes glancing furtively around the empty street. "Y'know, the other day, we saw someone from your tribe around these parts."

It took a second to register, but the three travellers all gaped. Bato was the first to react. "But who? All the men would have been travelling with Hakoda and as far as I know, everyone else would still be at the Southern Water Tribe. Unless…" He moved from his position as lookout and pushed past Sokka and Katara's shoulders. "Were they a waterbender, per chance?"

The salesman opened his mouth, then quickly shut it, contemplating whether or not to expose his secrets. After much deliberation, he replied. "Y'know, this probably isn't the sort of thing I should go around telling strangers, but yeah I think they were a waterbender. I saw them making a big pot of stew just down the road that-a-ways and they were stirring it without a spoon and if that doesn't mean they're a waterbender, then I'll be!" He laughed a tad at the end, before his eyes darted back towards the town entrance. "But y'know those firebenders that were just here? They took her hostage a few days ago and I reckon they're taking her back to jail. She was an escaped convict, y'see," he explained. "But that's all I got for ya. I hope you lot have a great night!"

The trio paused, absorbing all this new info. Not only was there a chance to rescue one of their tribal sisters, but Katara had an opportunity to learn from an actual waterbender now, not to mention the potentially invaluable information that prisoner had.

"I know that we should be laying low until we find Dad, but… I say we break that lady out. Who's in?" Sokka asked, breaking the tense silence between the three. Katara and Bato looked at one another, then back at Sokka.

In unison they replied, "We're in."

* * *

Story Notes: Yes, just to clear up any form of confusion regarding continuity with the story, I decided to slightly fast forward the timing of Zhao's invasion upon the Northern Water Tribe.

Also, tell me what you think of Ren and if there's anything you think I could change about him! More about him will be revealed later in the story.

And on a final note, there will be something in this story that is very different to what we are told in the original story. I won't spoil it because I think it's a really great idea, but at some point in the future get ready to expect the unexpected!

Also, to reply to Ashley Barbosa (Guest), I've rated it M because I'm still not 100% certain what path this is going to take so I'm rating it that in case of any future violence, yeah. Rating will likely decrease but I just want to stay on the safe side for now.


	5. The Siege of the North - One Vs Many

Unfortunately for the people of the Northern Water Tribe, Aang's return from battle wasn't as jovial as they had hoped.

Despite the best efforts of the young airbender, his skills alone weren't enough to combat the huge invasion force approaching ominously on the horizon. Dozens, possibly hundreds, of Fire Nation warships, all converging upon the point that was the capital city of the North Pole. He had done his best with Appa, the pair of them managing to demobilise and disarm the first by tampering with its catapults and launching them at one another but chose to return to the safety of the tribe after the horrifying sight of the Fire Navy fleet met them.

The first ship that had arrived into the harbour, the very first ship taken out by Aang, lay stranded against the icy cliffs of the North Pole, propped up by icebergs. It had been pulled towards the wall to allow waterbenders to land on deck and imprison any remaining Fire Nation troops for interrogation. The ship had long been deserted once the soldiers were on board however; it was evident by the state of the ship and the prominent lack of escape boats that the crew had fled the ship upon sinking.

It scared Aang to imagine how much damage just one of these ships could wreak. The mighty wall of ice was already beginning to crumble, with large dents in the exterior marking the points of impact from large fireballs. Waterbenders scampered over its surfaces, frantically trying to rebuild the wall before the inevitable next wave of destruction by bending seawater into the gaping holes. Aang saddened at the thought of their valiant but futile efforts of rebuilding, knowing full well that this wall would be completely torn down by the armada converging just out of eyeshot.

Along the wall, Aang spotted Yue. She still donned her think purple coat and was standing atop a watchtower overlooking the wall, giving Aang a concerned look and beckoning for him to come down to her. He guided Appa down towards the balcony of the tower and, once they were right above, Aang jumped down off of Appa's neck and landed gracefully with a gust of air.

Yue's arms were crossed neatly across her chest and her body language conveyed that she was relaxed, but her facial expression and the tone of her voice gave away her calm aura. "Aang, what's going on?" she questioned as soon as Aang approached her. "Why is there a Fire Nation ship here?"

Aang shook his head. "I'm not sure, but they're probably looking for me or your dad. I don't want to stay here and put everyone in danger, but right now I should stay so I can help and fight."

Yue was confused. "What do you mean, stay and fight? There's only one ship and you took care of it already!"

"Uh, not exactly," Aang nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Is your father around? I kind of need to speak with him."

* * *

"Aang, are you certain?" Yue asked the young airbender.

She and Aang had gathered in a room along with Pakku, Arnook, Ren and a number of other people. Inside the room, Aang had been introduced to Hahn, Yue's fiancée and immediately Aang didn't like him. The room a large table whose surface displayed a map of the Northern Water Tribe and the surrounding oceans, where hundreds of little red markers were placed out in the water. Aang had to emphasise just how many Fire Nation ships he had seen by not only putting down all of the red markers indicating Fire Nation, but by putting down some blue ones to illustrate his point. "I'm certain, Yue. Hundreds and hundreds of them, going as far back as I could see. I know I'm hardly a military strategist, but I don't think we can take them."

Arnook stroked his beard. "We've held off many Fire Nation attacks over the past hundred years. Our wall is sturdy, and the cliffs surrounding our city will help to protect us, but I fear you are right. Nevertheless, we can only stay and fight back. I refuse to surrender and allow them to subjugate my people without resistance."

Pakku turned to the Avatar. "Aang, you've got to go out there and try to take out that fleet. You're the only one of us powerful to do so. I know how much the airbenders hate fighting but you don't have a choice here."

Aang grit his teeth and clamped his hands onto his glider, nodding in acknowledgement. "I ran away from the Air Nomads when I was younger, and I wasn't there to protect them. I won't make the same mistake again." He turned his gaze to Arnook. "I'll do whatever I can to slow that fleet down, but I won't be able to hold them off forever. We need to get the citizens to safety and make sure none of them get hurt."

Paku smiled off to the side. _Spoken like a true Avatar, _he thought to himself. _Maybe this boy isn't as much of a lost cause as I thought._

Arnook nodded gravely. "Thank you Avatar." He turned and beckoned towards one of the men standing beside him. "You! Make sure all the citizens are evacuated from the city." The man curtly nodded and dashed out of the room. Arnook's gaze turned to the rest of strangers in the room and beckoned them towards the door. "He'll need help. It won't be long till the Fire Nation arrives. May the Moon and Ocean Spirits bless and guide you all."

Pakku was next to leave. "I'm going to prepare the men for battle," he told his superior. "Our best hope against the firebenders is to defend our wall. If they manage to break past that, then…" Pakku trailed off. "Good luck to you all. And Aang," he said over his shoulder as he left the room, "please try not to die. I don't want to have to train _another _Avatar."

"So considerate," Aang snorted under his breath.

"I _heard _that, Avatar."

Arnook cleared his throat to stop the banterous back-and-forth between master and student. "Hahn, gather a group of non-benders with you. I want you to try and infiltrate the warships and find whoever's in charge, and take them out."

Hahn nodded. "But how will we know who he is?" he asked.

"His name is Zhao. Tall, insane, really long sideburns," Aang responded, pointing down his cheeks as if to demonstrate Zhao's facial hairs.

Hahn raised his eyebrows before pointing a suspicious finger towards Aang. "How come you know so much about the Fire Nation? Are you a spy sent by this 'Zoo' guy to infiltrate our tribe? Are you trying to trick us into losing?"

"Stop it Hahn, you know he's not a spy. He's the Avatar," Yue scolded her future husband. "Just go and do your job."

"Okay babe," Hahn replied, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that made Aang uncomfortable. "I'll see you later." He winked, and Yue rolled her eyes, clearly disgusted by his actions. _Why him? _Yue thought distastefully. _I get that it's to bring unity to the tribe, but of all people, why does it have to be Hahn?_

Once Hahn had left, Yue then turned to her father. "What about me? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Arnook sighed, and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'd advise you to go and hide somewhere, but knowing my daughter, you're hardly going to do that." He smiled. "Just stay safe. Ren will accompany you at all times as a personal guard." He then turned to Aang. "I suggest you leave now though, boy. We need as much time as possible to face this army so I need you to go out there and slow down the Fire Nation as much as possible."

"I won't let you down!"Aang exclaimed and promptly ran out the door to where Appa was sitting.

"Father, I want to help," Yue said, once Aang had left. "I know you said you need me to stay safe and all, but I don't want to be a liability."

Arnook stroked his beard again, and sighed. "I cannot turn down such endeavours for leadership. It is promising for our future leader. Fine. I am headed to the wall to organise our forces and to provide support. You are more than welcome to accompany me."

Yue gleamed. "Thank you Father," she said with a bow. "You won't regret this!"

* * *

Although Katara, Sokka and Bato had every intent of remaining in the town for a few days, they left almost immediately after hearing the news from the salesman.

After their discussion with the salesman, they quickly went about further preparation for their sudden, but necessary, mission. They donned their Earth Kingdom garb and packed their old clothes within their packs, which they left with their mounts. A nearby cabbage merchant was more than willing to look after their rides while they were gone once he had learned of their mission. He hoped that through this stealth operation, the town could finally be rid of the bullies that had pestered them for money and food ever since their arrival. Although, he quickly regretted his decision to watch after the ostrich horses after Beaky quickly took a liking to his cabbages, much to his dismay. Katara had heard him screaming, "My cabbages!" when they were walking away and leaving town, and laughed a little to herself.

Word had spread like wildfire of their plans within the village. Sokka had learned that the encampment they stayed at was approximately half a day's walk north of the village and that there was 3 Fire Nation soldiers, Katara found shelter for them for the night before they would embark from a gracious old woman who owned an inn, and Bato found out from the village elders about increased Fire Nation activity near the Northern Water Tribe and plans of an attack on Ba Sing Se. That last piece of news had shocked Bato and he wasn't sure how to handle this information. Of course, their priority was to re-join Hakoda, but if Ba Sing Se was to fall it would mean the end of the Earth Kingdom for sure.

That evening, there was an unspoken tension between the three as they prepared themselves for the next day in the inn. For Bato, this signified his return to combat after months of being sidelined after his arm was horrifically burned after a firebender attack, a wound that had scarred him permanently. He didn't speak to either sibling, preferring to mellow in his own preconceived confidence and plan out their attack for the following day. He figured, since that there were only three Fire Nation soldiers, a sneak attack would work well. If they could isolate one of the group the rest would be outnumbered and they should be able to claim victory. He smiled to himself. He had always had a knack for strategy and he was glad he was able to implement his skills for the first time in months.

On the contrary, Katara and Sokka were much more conflicted with the plan. They were, first of all, slightly scared. This was the first time that they would properly attack the Fire Nation, rather than the other way around. And neither sibling was sure if they were willing to go to the same lengths as Bato to retrieve the prisoner. Bato was a man of war, who had been fighting for over 5 years before his injury. He would surely feel less remorse if the situation required taking one of the soldiers' lives than either Katara and Sokka.

The predicament kept them both awake well into the night. Neither party could sleep after Bato recommended they both rest before dozing off himself. It must've been around midnight when she heard Sokka whisper from across the room.

"Psst. You awake?"

"Well I _wasn't,_ until you just woke me up," she lied.

"If you were asleep, then you wouldn't have heard me."

"Fine. I've been awake this whole time. You got me." She rolled over on her bed to face Sokka who was lying on the other side of the room, Bato sleeping in between them on a thin mat.

"You thinking about tomorrow?" she asked Sokka.

"Yeah. It just feels weird, y'know, to actually be fighting back for once. I know that this is what I've wanted to do ever since Dad left 6 years ago, but still, it feels strange."

"I know what you mean." She paused. "Do you think this person is worth it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know… like are they worth switching our attention for? Should we not just focus on finding Dad first?"

Sokka paused. "I think this is the right thing to do. They're from our tribe and if they stay with those Fire Nation troops, spirits knows what will happen to them. And besides, it's only a day out of schedule. We'll be fine."

"I guess so." Katara rolled back over, facing the wall, trying to go to sleep yet something still nagged at her. "Hey Sokka?"

"Yeah Katara?" She was almost surprised to hear that he was still awake. _Maybe the same thing is bothering him,_ she thought.

"Do you think we'll have to… kill them? The soldiers I mean."

Sokka took a sharp intake of breath and hesitated. She had unwittingly struck Sokka exactly where he was most conflicted, where he was most torn. Between Sokka the kid and Sokka the tribal warrior. On one hand, he wanted to prove to Bato and Hakoda that he could be one of them, that he had the capacity to take a life during a war. But on the other hand, fifteen-year-old Sokka didn't feel ready. It was only a year ago when he had first built up the courage to kill a seal for jerky, and even then he had spent a good day or two mourning. He had built a façade of a willing and budding hunter during this time but he recognised that it was just that: a façade. He didn't have the same guts his dad did.

Hakoda had always been brave. Sokka thought back to the day the Southern Raiders attacked their village and took Kya from them, when his father had fought firebenders singlehandedly with nothing but his bone club. Sokka was awestruck, overcome by his father's adversity in the face of utmost danger so much that his desire to live up to Hakoda's legend became of paramount importance to his very own _existence._ But since that day, Sokka had been unable to do that. Kanna had led the tribe in Hakoda's absence rather than Sokka, adult women began to lead the hunts instead of Sokka, Katara even began to fish to make up for Sokka's self-imposed incompetence.

Killing one of these firebenders could give Sokka a chance at redemption, though. This proof, this undeniable piece of evidence, that Sokka had grown into a man of his own accord, and Hakoda would have no choice but to accept him not as a son, but as an equal. Sokka would become a soldier of the war, a proper man, the sort of guy that maybe a girl like Suki would be proud of. He could return home with all the accolades a man could muster, and he would, maybe one day, be pronounced Chief, not because of his heritage with Hakoda but because of his own merits, his own achievements and accomplishments, his own qualities of leadership, his own identity as a _man_.

But then again, was he a man if he took a human life? Since when had his rite of passage to adulthood resulted in having to take another's life? Wasn't it wrong to kill? If that was the case, Aang was more of a man than he could ever be, despite being three years the Avatar's senior. All his hullabaloo about never taking life had begun to rub off on him just as he had begun to feel that his mask of bravery was finally settling itself down into his personality, but what if it was right? A firebender might be objectively evil, yes. But they're still human. Their opinions and worldviews were likely corrupted by distorted Fire Nation propaganda, their agendas forced, their actions ordered to them by higher ranking units who were ordered to order by someone higher up. Even those, at the top of the positional ladder, were still human and held their own lives and families. Was it right for Sokka to justify taking something so unique and precious off the face of their world just because they had different opinions, just because he felt it would make him a man? Or was it more manly to give mercy, to allow repentance for mistakes, to be the better person and turn the other cheek?

He didn't know. After all, he was only fifteen. He should just be worrying about girls, not the philosophies of warfare and adulthood. _I'm beginning to sound like Aang. But I suppose that's not quite a bad thing._

"Sokka? Sokka, are you still awake?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry sis, just lost in thought. What was your question again?"

"Do you think we'll have to kill them?

"I don't know, Katara, I really don't know. But you should get some sleep, there's no point worrying now. Night, sis."

Katara yawned. "Good night, Sokka. See you in the morning." She closed her eyes and Sokka could hear her breath slow to a regular sleeping pace, indicating Sokka's isolation in the night. But he was tired himself, and he knew that he was bound to have an eventful day tomorrow. There was no use fretting.

But just before he dozed off to a troubled sleep he whispered, not really to anyone or himself, in response to Katara's question.

"I really hope not."

* * *

Aang returned to the wall that evening not with the honour of victory but with the burden of failure upon his shoulders. He had fully exerted himself, yet he seemed to only have dented the numbers of the armada.

After leaving Yue, Arnook and Ren at the meeting room, Aang had immediately flown off alongside Appa to confront the Fire Nation armies converging upon the North Pole. By this point, the boats were well within sight of the tribe and panic was ensuing along the main wall as troops scrambled about to make last minute preparations. Aang knew that these soldiers were not trained to deal with such a huge force and he felt determined to prevent them from coming into harm's way.

But try as he might, his efforts against the fleet were in vain. He had managed to take down about a dozen or so of the ships but the flaming maelstrom of hurtling fireballs became too much for the bison and rider alike to cope with. Aang's airbending clothes had been badly burnt, and he was frustrated by his lack of progress. It had seemed that every time he dismantled one of the boats, another three would come to its place.

So he returned to the wall, battered and disappointed, to the concerned figure of Yue and Ren, who stood stoically behind her. He glided Appa down towards the wall and cautiously climbed off of his back, too weak and tired to try jumping down from above. As soon as he had clambered down off his back, Yue had run up to him and squatted down slightly so that she was on eye level with Aang. She placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, as a concerned sister would ask her brother, "Aang, are you okay?"

Aang panted, still trying to regain his composure after battle. "I can't do it… I can't do it."

"What happened?" Yue inquired, trying to keep the urgency out of her voice. Ren had caught up with the pair by now and stood over Yue, a frown plastered across his face.

"I must've taken down at least a dozen Fire Navy ships but there's just too many of them. I can't fight them all," Aang replied dimly, his voice devoid of energy or willpower.

"B-but you have to! You're the Avatar!"

"I'm just one kid." His face was solemn, and it was clear to Ren that the young Avatar was completely drained. He placed his hand on Yue's shoulder causing her to turn her head and face him with pleading eyes.

"There's no use dwelling on the past. Right now, Aang needs to rest. The other warriors can hold down the fort until tomorrow morning. There's no way the firebenders risk attacking us at nightfall."

"Why not?" Aang had been helped to his feet by Yue and his staff when he had asked the question. He was curious, as night time would have seemed to Aang the most logical time for the Fire Navy to attack.

Yue jumped in before Ren could reply. "The legends say that the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned to do it ourselves. Our strength comes from the spirit of the moon and our life comes from the spirit of the ocean. They work together to keep balance."

Ren stepped forward. "That's why the Fire Navy wouldn't dare attack us at night. Waterbending is more powerful and enhanced during the night, due to our spiritual affinity with the moon. We'd wipe them out easily if we fought them at night."

Aang paused, as if contemplating in his own thoughts before he beamed and exclaimed euphatically, "Maybe I can find the moon and ocean spirits and get them to help!"

"You can do that?" Ren and Yue asked, in unison.

"I'm the bridge between the Spirit World and the physical world. I'm able to talk to spirits!." But…" he reconsidered. "I've only been into the Spirit World once, and it was only by accident. I don't know how I'm going to get in there again."

"I have an idea. Follow me." She stood up and beckoned for Aang and Ren to follow her as she began to walk back to the main palace.

* * *

The Spirit Oasis seemed both so familiar yet unlike anything Aang had ever seen. It was nothing to marvel at; a small garden with a quaint little pond, surrounded by grass and streams with footbridges crossing over them, yet the fact that flora was simply growing in the North Pole had him in awe. Not only that, but he was confused as to how such a place in an icy tundra could be so _warm_. It didn't affect him; he always kept his body temperature regulated no matter what with his airbender breathing, but it was warm enough for Ren and Yue to shed their thick fur jackets.

Yue had led the pair here once the moon had risen, and Appa and Aang had had their share of rest after their valiant efforts earlier that day, although not much recovery could actually be afforded with the non-stop chattering of Momo in their ears. The lemur was clearly concerned with the burn marks on Aang's clothes and the weariness of his bison comrade, but Aang waved him off with the incentive of food. After food and a small nap, Yue brought Aang and Ren to the back of the palace, where a hidden courtyard and a circular wooden door appeared. Ren was amazed by the sight; he had always dreamt of visiting the Spirit Oasis, the most sacred place for any waterbender in the world and he was dumbstruck by how he had never in all his years alive seen where the oasis was.

Aang ran to the back of the oasis, where the waning gibbous moon cast shadows of the tree onto the limber blades of grass. He flopped to the ground and simply rolled, laughing with glee. "I never thought I'd miss grass this much!" he exclaimed.

Yue smiled. "This is the centre of all spiritual energy in our land. That's also why it's so warm in here."

Aang stood up and walked towards the pond, where he could see two koi fish circling one another in a seemingly endless dance. "You're right Yue, I can feel a lot of spiritual energy coming from this place," he said passively, entranced by the two creatures below him. He sighed contentedly after watching them for a few moments more, and sat down in a lotus position by the waterside. He closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply, and Yue and Ren could only stand and watch in awe as the Avatar's tattoos began to glow with a brilliant blue light.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Ren broke the quiet. "Well, _that _was easy. What do we do now?"

Yue paused, not taking her eyes off the ethereal sight of Aang. "I'm not sure. I guess we wait?"

Ren nodded. "Understood, Princess. We'll stay and keep guard over Aang. I'd imagine that his spirit will need to return to his body once he's done so we probably shouldn't move him."

"Seems fair enough. Maybe we should get someone else to watch us?"

"That won't be necessary Yue. I'm the best bender this tribe has to offer spare Pakku. I think I can handle this."

"Good. That way I only have to deal with one of you." A raspy, hateful voice emerged from the shadows, jolting Ren into an immediate defensive stance with a stream of water curled around his arms and shocking Yue into a stifled scream. Ren was on razor's edge, crouched down with his knees bent as the vessel of the voice slowly strode out of the darkness. He wore plain, insulating clothes with a rope tied around his chest but what really caught Ren's attention was the face. It was ridden with black and blue, clear markings of a recent scuffle, and a hideously disfiguring burn mark was scarred over his left eye.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ren demanded, his icy blue stare meeting the boy's piercing golden stare.

"I want the Avatar," the assailant responded. "Hand him over and I won't have to hurt you."

Ren glowered. "Yue, get out of here. Find help immediately!" he roared over his shoulder to her frightened figure, who took the opportunity to bolt to the wooden door for Appa and Momo. "Now, where were we," Ren growled, turning back to face the man. "Who are you? What do you want with the Avatar?"

The attacker scowled. "Filthy peasant, I am Fire Prince Zuko, heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. Now hand me the Avatar or else!" With that, his hands balled into clenched fists and small daggers of flame spurted out from within his grasp. He bent his legs and took a fighting stance, fire blades pointed towards Ren.

"Over my dead body."

The corner of Zuko's mouth twitched into a smile. "As you wish."

Zuko released his fists and kicked up his leg, sending a fire blast hurtling towards Ren who conjured up a water shield to absorb the attack. As soon as the shield was lowered, Zuko was on the offensive again, firing scathingly hot fireballs from his fists towards Ren who used the water wrapped around his arms to disorientate some of the projectiles launched towards him. Ren found an opening as Zuko readied himself for a larger, more ferocious attack and sent forth a surging stream of water at Zuko's chest, knocking him off balance and sending him hurtling onto his back a few metres away.

"He's mine, filthy peasant. Get out of my way!" Zuko roared, jumping back to his feet in a swift, acrobatic move. Before he could get any closer however, Ren froze the water surrounding Zuko's feet, immobilising him. He proceeded to wave his arms around wildly to form a sphere of water around Zuko and as the firebender desperately launched fireballs to try and escape the vortex, Ren froze it, trapping Zuko inside. Zuko stared at Ren through the translucent ice, glaring at Ren with such fury his sight was almost burning holes through his makeshift prison.

"The Avatar's found himself a waterbending master, hasn't he?" Zuko mumbled through the ice.

Ren grimaced. "He has." He was still undecided on his thoughts about joining Aang after the invasion, but he supposed now wasn't the time to contemplate this.

The ball began to glow with an ominous orange hue and the surface of the globe began to hiss and melt, small tendrils of steam faintly rising. The light continued to increase, changing colour to yellow then to a blinding white, before the globule shattered and Zuko emerged, sending flames flying around the oasis. He fired attacks at Ren, who either dodged or blocked Zuko's attacks with a water shield. Before Ren could make a counter-attack against Zuko however, he had slipped aside and tried to grab Aang by the collar with the intent of stealing him.

"Don't touch him!" Ren screamed, whipping around, firing a waterblast with such throttle Zuko was slammed against the icy wall of the oasis. He summoned a hefty sum of fluid from the pond and just as Zuko staggered back to his feet, Ren sent a miniature tidal wave crashing against Zuko and freezing upon impact, leaving him encased in solid ice against the wall apart from his face and arms, which dangled limply from his unconsciousness.

Seeing Zuko's imprisonment, Yue re-entered the Spirit Oasis and gingerly walked up to Zuko's limp form. "Is he… you know…"

Ren responded harshly: "He's breathing. Don't go near him." Yue looked slightly taken aback by his tone, and Ren immediately felt apologetic. "Sorry, Princess, he's just a very dangerous firebender. You should go get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

Yue eyed him cautiously, but nonetheless walked over to the tree near Aang's seated lotus position, its bark scathed with burns. "Okay. Wake me if you need anything," she yawned, stretching her arms above her head and almost immediately falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Zuko remained there for the rest of the night, while Ren sat, attentive, staring down Zuko and making sure he didn't try anything else to escape. The night was long and arduous, and Ren couldn't help but marvel at his predicament.

How in Tui's name had this happened? Only a week ago, he had every intent of finally being granted the title of waterbending master from Pakku and setting out to defend their nation in the war. Now, he was protecting a strange twelve-year-old kid with glowing arrow tattoos, a princess with hair blanched whiter than sea foam, and an angsty firebending prince that had half his face burned off. Why him?

Ren must've been thinking for a while because as night slowly but surely turned to dawn, he had been gradually falling asleep. He was exhausted from fighting Zuko who, he had to admit, was a powerful firebender despite his younger age and from constantly fretting over Aang. His eyelids were drooping when the first rays of sunlight caressed the frozen prince's face.

Zuko felt the heat, felt it course through his veins, felt it fuel his heart with desire and power. "You rise with the moon," he whispered to himself, his body charging up with newfound energy, "I rise with the sun."

His face scrunched and whipped up, taking in the sight of the still-sleeping princess, the glowing Avatar and the drowsy waterbending lazily guarding him. Determined, he breathed steam from his nose and melted the ice suddenly before Ren could react. He dropped to the ground and fired a powerful blast at Ren, who was sent flying towards a pole marking the entry to the oasis.

Ren's vision tunnelled, his mind losing consciousness. He flopped to the ground sprawled on his side, the impact of the fire blast hitting the nearby ground sending him flying. He could see and hear with his last moments of thought Yue squealing in fright and Zuko trudging over to Aang and holding him up by the collar. He limply raised an arm out, trying to reach Aang desperately but only received a disapproving frown from Zuko.

Then all went black.

* * *

Katara woke with two hands firmly shaking her shoulders and the sounds of "…get _up_, Katara! It's time to leave" ringing throughout her ears. Sokka was standing over her, dressed in his Earth Kingdom clothes and a holster for his boomerang dangling from his shoulder, and had painted his face with the same black, grey and white hues he sported during Zuko's raid. Bato stood beside him, wearing a similar complexion and with a club dangling from his belt.

Katara rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Alright, I'm up, I'm up," she grumbled, her hair messily done after the night's sleep. She walked over to the bathroom, yawning as she did so, and got ready as fast as she could. To be fair, it didn't take her as long as it did Bato and Sokka, probably due to the fact that she didn't need to wear the same warrior makeup. She, as a woman, had never been considered a warrior and was expected to take on more 'womanly' duties like motherhood. Of course, she hated this but these tasks were pretty much forced upon her after the loss of her mother. What she would give, to have her back…

She slid into her Earth Kingdom garb, nothing more than a pair of pants, a long sleeve undershirt and a vest and slung to water skins around her body, which she later filled up from a communal well within the village. She tied her hair back into a single ponytail and returned to Bato and Sokka, who had finished packing their bags. They were going to leave them with the ostrich horses in the time being, and were only packing essentials like food, water, and first aid supplies.

"Okay, I'm all set," Katara exclaimed, distracting Sokka and Bato from their work. "What's the plan?"

Sokka stood up from his cross-legged position on the floor, where he had been packing his few clothes and personal belongings away into a woven sack he planned to carry with him on the small journey. "I think we should leave as soon as possible. Get there, scout the place out, see how many firebenders there are, figure out strategy." He pounded his fist into his palm, and spoke with a forceful tone, "And then when night time comes we take them out." But Katara could see the flitter of fear and fright within his eyes that gave away his hidden feelings on the ambush.

Bato, again unaware of the unspoken communications between the two siblings, headed for the door with his own small bag hung over his shoulder. He turned the hand and the first rays of the morning sun splayed onto the wooden floorboards "Then we haven't a moment to lose. Let's get going."

* * *

Author's Notes:

I don't really like this chapter that much and I feel like in some of the earlier scenes in the Northern Water Tribe it was kind of stale so I apologise for crappy writing. Hopefully the next few chapters can run more smoothly because they'll be diverging a bit more from the regular storyline, that way I have more freedom for my narrative choices.

I actually really enjoyed writing that bit about Sokka in the middle. I think that his character is one of the most complex in the show, and I think his aspirations to be like his dad weren't explored nearly enough for my liking. Because we already know that Sokka wants to impress his dad but I wanted to go into more detail about how he maybe feels as if he's living in Hakoda's shadow. I got some inspiration from it from Zuko's relationship with Ozai in regards to trying to impress their paternal figures, and I think the two different father-son bonds are actually kind of similar, minus the whole Ozai-tried-to-kill-Zuko-in-an-Agni-Kai-and-banished-him thing. I'm thinking of exploring it more later, but probably more about the aspects of Sokka becoming a man in his own right rather than living up to Hakoda.

Also, I apologise if this chapter took a while to come out. I've been loaded with schoolwork lately that's given me little time to write and edit, and I wanted to release the whole story of the Northern Water Tribe at once rather than splitting it into a two-parter. It wasn't the greatest writing either and I apologise, I promise I'll try and make it up to you all.


	6. The Siege of the North - The Moon Spirit

**A / N: Sorry that it's taken me like two weeks to get an update out. Everything's getting a bit hectic with exams coming up and especially now that the final 10 episodes of SU Future and the final series of The Clone Wars are out, I'm a little preoccupied. There'll probably be a bit more of a 'hiatus' after this chapter as I need a bit of time to try and plan out where Aang and co. go from here. As always, leave a review and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Notes: Similar to Zuko's earlier situation, I've decided not to include Aang's trip into the Spirit World into my story because it would've stayed pretty much exactly the same to as it was in the show.**

* * *

_Ren opened his eyes to an unfamiliar sight. Gone were the vibrant greens of the Spirit Oasis and the serene bodies of water, replaced with an endless expanse of ocean that disappeared over the horizons. The water was murky and inky and the sky was a deep black, like a night sky with the uneasy absence of celestial bodies shining. He stood on a lone iceberg, waves sloshing against its sides, with a large tower of ice located centrally._

"_You didn't save me." A familiar voice resounded in the eerie silence from behind Ren and he whipped around to find none other than Aang who looked as normal par a pair of completely empty eyes. No longer did he sport the grey irises that held so much wisdom and knowledge, no longer did the gleam of deviousness and childish joy appear. Instead they were devoid of colour, each eye looking like an endless void of nothingness. The rest of his body was just as dishevelled. Burn marks riddled his airbending garb and his skin, normally pale and smooth, was equally as scarred and bruised._

"_You let Zuko take me," he continued, speaking with the same monotonous voice. "Now my spirit is lost, and the Northern Water Tribe will fall. You failed, Ren. Why?"_

_Before he could answer, another voice came from behind him. "You left me alone." He recognised the voice and hesitated to turn around, fearing those blackened eyes would reappear once more upon another familiar face. But his curiosity bested him and he saw the figure of Yue, those same black eyes appearing in her sockets just like Aang's and with the same malformed appearance._

"_You left me to that wretched firebender's mercy. I could die, Ren. You've let my tribe down, Ren. You failed, Ren. Why?"_

_A harsh wind began to pick up, causing Ren's thick coat to bellow in the gust. Aang and Yue, however, seemed completely untouched by this sudden outburst of the atmosphere. The waves lapping against the ice began to increase in size, sea spray beginning to fling up and whip Ren's cheeks. He tugged the jacket closer to his body, trying to preserve any and all body heat to guard himself against the elements increasing in severity._

_Now, it was Pakku's turn to appear. "You left me to die against the Fire Nation. You should've been fighting with me. You didn't teach the Avatar waterbending. You didn't protect the Spirit Oasis. You failed, Ren. Why?" He once again had the same black eyes, and so did Arnook who appeared just after._

"_You betrayed my trust. I took you in as a son when your father left, and despite everything I've done for you, you've let me down. You've failed to guard my precious daughter."You've let our tribe's sole hope of survival fall into the hands of the Fire Nation. You're no better than your father. You failed, Ren. Why?"_

_More and more people kept appearing around Ren, all chanting their grievances at once and all with the same devoid eyes. Childhood friends appeared, asking why Ren abandoned them over time. Old girlfriends appeared, asking why Ren was so shut off from them. Fellow tribesmen, political advisors, warriors, all expressing their distaste of Ren and his personality and actions. Even a pair of young Water Tribe siblings who he had never seen before appeared, telling him that he could never replace them._

_The chanting continued, the incessant sound of hundreds of tumultuous voices saying "Why?" filling his head. All the while, the inky waves continued to bash against the sides with more force, and the howling wind forever grew. Ren's face was scrunched, holding his hands over his ears. _I can't handle this. Why do I always have to fail someone?_ He tried desperately to shut out his surroundings, squeezing his eyelids shut._

"_I was the first person you ever failed, Ren. And I'll never forgive you for what you did to me."_

_Suddenly, everything stopped. The waves subsided to a gentle rock and the wind fell to a gentle breeze. The people standing around Ren had stopped their yelling and parted to form a large opening between Ren and the tower of ice, where a new man stood, his back to Ren. He wore the archetypal garb of the Northern Water Tribe, fur boots, a blue parka, and a club slung over his back. But what gave him away to Ren was the hair growing on his head. It was very short and was a light brown, unlike the other members of the tribe who all bore jet black locks. He turned, facing Ren, revealing a chiselled jaw and a misshapen nose, evidence of multiple past fractures. But what was most prominent on the man's face were the eyes._

_They weren't like everyone else's. They weren't the same black, lifeless orbs. Instead they were a deep azure blue, exactly the way he remembered them when he last saw them twelve years ago._

"_You let me down, Ren. You could never understand why I was doing what I was. I was always just trying to keep you safe. Yet when I needed you the most, you threw me out to rot. It pains me, it _sickens_ me to call you my _son._" His eyes were shooting daggers at Ren, as if the past twelve years of anger and contempt were suddenly bustling out of his system in one, concentrated glare._

_Ren rarely cried, but he could feel the unshed tears pooling in his eyelids. "Father, you left me no choice! I never wanted to turn on you!" he pleaded, sinking to his knees and clasping his hands in front of him._

_The man just looked at Ren with disdain, before letting out a small laugh, before replying. "Don't justify your actions. You had every choice. You could have stayed with me, and we could have lived in safety for the rest of our lives. But you chose wrong. You chose Arnook over me. And now, you will forever pay the price. You will lose this invasion, you will lose the Avatar, and you will die, knowing I never forgave you for your actions."_

_Ren gritted his teeth and placed his fingers on his crown. "This isn't real," he was desperately muttering to himself. "This is just a dream, this isn't my father, I'm just imagining this."_

_The man jumped off the pillar and strode menacingly toward the kneeling Ren. He bundled the front of Ren's parka into his fist and pulled him off the ground and into the air with ease. His strength was abnormal, like three muscular men bundled into one, and Ren could not fight back against the vice-like grip. "I see you for what you really are now," his father spat. "You are only a shell of me. You are a weak, selfish, pathetic boy that I never wanted. Your mother died for your life, and this is how you repay her? By showing yourself to be useless and small?" he spat, his words digging into Ren's body harder than any blade could ever dream of doing. He walked, still holding Ren, to the edge of the iceberg and held Ren above the waves twenty feet below. They had begun to crash once more, as if eager to come up and swallow Ren whole._

_His father finally looked Ren in the eyes for the first time, and in them he could see the lack of remorse, the pure, singly-minded hatred he held towards Ren. Ren had never been more terrified in his life. "The world would be better off without you," his father spat, the contempt in his words overwhelming. And with a final twisted smile, he let go of Ren, causing him to plummet into the murky depths of the all-black world. Ren tried his best to swim, to stay afloat, but he was pulled under by some invisible force and could only watch his last few precious bubbles of air escape his throat as he was pulled further downwards, further, further…_

* * *

The half-day journey had been long and tedious, and only then did Katara, Sokka and Bato realise how much they preferred travelling with the ostrich horses. The midday sun bore down on them incessantly as they squandered along the dirt trail, marked on the map they were given. Despite their profuse sweating, Katara had denied both Bato and Sokka for some of her water, claiming it was her only way of defending themselves and that they should have brought their own.

An uneasy tension still sat between the three. Not due to the awkwardness of an adult travelling with children that were not his own, not due to the resolved prejudices of Katara and Sokka feeling as if Bato had replaced Aang. No, the atmosphere was tense due to their realisation of the levity of their situation. They were faced with an opportunity to not only resurrect the Southern style of waterbending, but to revive their own festering tribe that had been sitting on the brink of poverty ever since the Fire Nation raids. Bato felt immense pride at the opportunity to help restore his people's honour as well as the siblings, but to a lesser extent.

Their main concern was not of the Water Tribe, but of the Fire Nation. Their conversation the night earlier still left both siblings with an unresolved idea of what was to be expected of them and both made it clear to the other that they were not ready to kill yet. They could at least try to preserve their innocence a bit longer.

That 'bit longer' was likely not to be as long as they thought, as Sokka soon exclaimed, "There's the encampment!"

About five hundred metres down the road Sokka had pointed out a handful of red tents within a light forest, lying to the side of the road amongst some bushland. There were three large tents surrounding a central campfire, and they could see a figure standing next to a large wooden pole.

As the group edged closer though, they could see that this person was not just standing; rather, they had been chained to the wooden pole. They had black hair and tanned skin, instantaneously identifying them as a member of the Water Tribe, but they couldn't notice any other features.

Bato however, instantly recognised the person. He muttered under his breath, "Kirima," not realising that Katara and Sokka heard him.

"You know that person?" Sokka asked.

Bato replied with an edge of satisfaction in his voice. "Yes, I knew Kirima when I was younger. She was… special to me when I was younger." His eyes glanced wistfully into the distance towards the outpost, before snapping back to Katara and Sokka. "She was taken by the Fire Nation when you two were around three and four years old. You probably wouldn't remember her."

Now it was Katara's turn to get excited. "So you mean she's a waterbender?"

Bato nodded. "The best we had. She could fight like nobody else, and she even knew how to heal. She was incredible."

"I can't wait to meet her; she sounds amazing!"

"Well _I _can," Sokka said, purposefully interrupting the Katara-Bato daydreaming session. "We need to be stealthy about this, remember? We can't just boldly run in and save her just because you used to be lovey-dovey with her and because she can teach you bending." This earned Sokka a punch on the arm by Katara, but she nodded.

"You're right. Bato, do you think you can put personal attachments to the side for tonight?" she asked.

"Of course. I've waited eleven years to see her again, I think I can wait a bit longer."

Sokka pointed out towards a thicket of trees on the outskirts of the campsite. "I say we head there to do our reconnaissance. We should be within earshot and if we're quiet, we won't be found." Katara and Bato both nodded in agreement.

They decided not to walk the rest of the way down the road in case they were seen, so they took a large loop around and through the forest to get there. Along the walk, Katara conveniently noticed a stream flowing which would surely come in handy later. After about half an hour of quiet and slow hiking, they reached their vantage point and settled in the grass, their earthen hues blending well with the tall grasses.

Sokka climbed high into the trees, his body masked by the dense foilage. From his height, he could see two figures bent over the extinguished firepit holding a kettle. They called for someone, and a third person emerged from one of the tents and emitted a small fireball to ignite the wood. This was big news. From this, Sokka had figured out that there was likely only three Fire Nation troops down there and that only one of them was a firebender. He quickly scaled down the bark to where Sokka and Bato anxiously waited from their lying positions on the ground.

In a hushed tone, Sokka recounted his info from his scouting expedition. "As far as I can tell, there's three of them and only one of them is a firebender."

Bato grimaced. "Katara, do you think you'll be able to take care of the firebender? Bato and I probably wouldn't stand as much of a chance."

She sighed. 'I'll try my best, but I'll need some help as soon as you're done with your fights. My waterbending still isn't that great."

"That's no problem, Katara." Bato paused. "I suggest you two make yourselves comfortable, because we're probably going to be here for a while."

* * *

"Ren, can you hear me?"

"Ren you've got to wake up!"

"Ren, he took Aang!"

"Ren!"

He awoke with a start, frazzling Yue. She had been trying to wake Ren up ever since Zuko had left with Aang, fearing for the young airbender, and had been at his side for the last two hours trying to shake him out of his sleep.

"Wha-what's going on?" Ren mumbled, feeling unsure of himself. "What was that dream?"

"How would I know? You've been muttering _'I'm sorry' _for the last twenty minutes now."

Ren gasped. Had he? No, surely not… "Yue, do you think it's possible I was in the Spirit World?"

"I guess it's possible. I mean after all, we're in the most spiritual place in the whole Northern Water Tribe, this is the easiest place to travel there. But we don't have time to think about that right now! There's a blizzard going on outside the city and that Zuko guy went into it with Aang over two hours ago! I'm worried that he might freeze to death out there!"

If Ren wasn't awake before, he sure was now. He jumped to his feet and ran to the circular wooden door, Yue hurrying in tail. "We need to find him, _now._ If the people in my dream were telling the truth, then there's a good chance the tribe will fall if we don't find him." He pushed open the door to reveal Appa and Momo, who had been dozing until the door slammed open with a loud bang, jolting them awake. Ren bent a small icy staircase up to Appa's saddle, and offered Yue a hand up the stairs. He then followed suit onto the saddle, and went forward to the reins.

"How do you start this thing?" Ren inquired, receiving only a grunt from Appa. Momo, realising what it was that Ren wanted to do and recognising him as a friendly face, scuttled over to Appa's ear and squeaked out something vaguely resembling, a 'yip yip.' Within seconds, the bison heaved into the air and began gliding into the skies, causing Ren and Yue to gasp at the sight of the tribe.

During their time in the oasis, the fighting had well and truly broken out. The massive armada had approached the main wall which now lay in ruins, with Fire Nation ground troops now meeting head on with the people of the Water Tribe. The firebenders were vicious, especially during the middle of the day when they were at their most powerful, but his comrades were staunchly defending the city. _Just a few more hours, guys,_ Ren thought, _just hold out until the full moon. Then, we can take all of these people out easily._

Turning back to Yue, who had also been taking in the sight, he asked, "Did you see what direction Zuko took Aang?"

Yue snapped out of looking at the battlefield and turned her attention to Ren and the task at hand. "I think he went to the east, but I don't know how much luck we're going to have finding him. The snowfall is covering up any tracks they could have made!"

Realisation kicked in for both of them. Out here was an abandoned Fire Prince and the spiritless body of the Avatar. There was no chance either of them would ever survive this cold, and Ren was already questioning if they were too late.

"How long do you think it has been since Zuko left with Aang?" he asked Yue.

"I'd say at most three hours. The sun rose late today and it's midday now, so…" Yue paused. "Do you think that's not enough time to find him?"

"No. We can find him. We just need to be smart with our searching. You look to the right, I'll look to the left. Tell me if you find anything."

They continued like this for at least an hour and a half, desperately looking out over the frozen tundra until a blinding white light arced across the afternoon skies, going down into a small cave just below Appa.

"That must be Aang!" Yue exclaimed.

"Could be," Ren commented. "Appa, yip yip!" He guided the bison down towards the ground towards the cavern and just as they reached the ground, they saw Aang being held up by the scruff of his neck by Zuko, who was growling at him.

Aang could see Appa, descending gracefully towards him. He'd been saved! "Appa!" he exclaimed, before being tossed aside by Zuko. He yelped in surprise when hitting the cold snow.

Appa landed onto the ground with a _thud_, with Ren quick to jump off and face Zuko. Momo also jumped off and beelined for Aang, as he gnawed away at Aang's bindings trying to free his friend. Meanwhile, Zuko launched a few fireballs that were tempered by the wild snowstorm towards Ren who dodged them with absolute ease.

"Here for a rematch?" Zuko sneered, too prideful to admit the fact that he stood little to no chance of winning out there.

Ren merely grunted, and used his waterbending to send Zuko flying into the sky, before gravity inevitably took hold and Zuko fell to the ground, knocking him unconscious. Ren walked over to the body of the firebender and stood triumphantly, exclaiming "I'm NOT a failure!" to the empty expanse of the arctic.

Aang, free of his bindings, cocked his head to the side and looked at Ren with curiosity. "Why did you say that?"

"…nothing."

Yue, still on top of Appa and watching the events unfold, was anxious to head back. "We need to hurry!" she cried, urging Aang and Ren to hop back aboard.

Aang, suddenly remembering his visions from the Spirit World, gasped. "The spirits are in danger! We need to hurry!" He bolted up to Appa's side and was about to climb up, before hesitating and looking back at Zuko. "We can't just leave him here, though."

Ren shook his head. "We don't have time, Aang. We need to go _now._"

Aang stood his ground. "If we leave him here he'll die." He quickly airbent himself over to Zuko and scooped him up in his arms, collecting the rope discarded by Momo as he did so. He then jumped gracefully onto Appa and, with help from Ren, began to tie Zuko's hands and ankles together.

Ren grumbled. "Fine. But as soon as this invasion is over, I'm throwing in him jail. He's too much of a nuisance to be left free."

Aang shrugged, finishing tying the last of the bindings. "Fine by me. Hopefully then I can learn the elements in peace."

* * *

Over an hour had passed since the trio had reunited and were travelling back to the Northern Water Tribe when Aang felt it. A disturbance, something terrible. Something, he knew, was happening to the spirits, and his fears were confirmed when the moon suddenly and inexplicably turned red.

It seems Aang wasn't the only one who felt the shift in balance either however, as Yue suddenly grabbed her head in pain as if she was severely wounded. Aang inquired if she was okay to which she replied, "I feel faint."

Aang nodded. "I feel it too." Looking backwards at the eerily scarlet moon, he worried not just for the moon spirit Tui, but for the waterbenders opposing this firebender invasion. Indeed, they were reliant on the moon spirit as the source of their bending, just as firebenders relied on the existence of the sun. He couldn't fathom what could be happening down on the battlefields and suddenly the thought of his Master Pakku flashed into his mind. Yes, he was most likely the finest waterbender in the world right now but without it? He could pass off as a skinny old man. He had no physical prowess for fighting hand-to-hand as far as he knew, and against the wrath of firebenders that had yet to be stripped of their power, he stood little to no realistic chance.

His thoughts drifted further, and Katara flashed to mind. How would she fare, in the absence of waterbending? His hand reached up under his collar to the jewellery hanging around his neck, an item that had gradually been becoming familiar to Aang over his journeys. The smooth stone with intricate carvings still reminded him so much of Katara, and he yearned to know that she and Sokka would be alright.

He sighed, glancing back at the blood moon as they approached the outer city cliffs. "The Moon Spirit must be in serious trouble," he murmured, to no one in particular.

Yue replied unexpectedly, causing him to turn his head. "I owe the moon spirit my life."

Aang cocked his head. "How come?" he enquired.

"When I was born, I was very sick and weak. Most babies cry when they're born but I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did the best they could, but they told my mother and father I was going to die soon nonetheless. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me so that night, he brought me to the Spirit Oasis and placed me in the pond where Tui and La swim. My dark hair turned white and I began to cry just like a healthy baby would, and they knew I was going to live. That's why my mum named me Yue. For the moon."

Ren, listening in to the conversation between Yue and Aang, interrupted. "Sorry to break your talk, guys, but we're just about at the oasis. Any idea what's going on or what we should do?"

Yue paused. "I'm not sure what we should be expecting, but something or someone has endangered the Moon Spirit. My guess would be some stupid Fire Nation troop that snuck behind our lines."

Aang nodded. Looking out over Appa's saddle, the oasis was now coming into focus below Appa. Indeed, Yue was right, as he could spot five men wearing red and black uniforms standing amidst the grassy grounds, one of them holding a squirming sack. Appa went to ground with a gentle landing, and from the groung Aang let out a gasp. _No, _Aang thought, shuddering. _There's no way. Zhao?!_

* * *

The hours had ticked away yet the three of them had remained patient in their positions. Sparse rays of moonlight illuminating the forest through the dense leafage above was the only form of light they had to see by par the blazing bonfire within the Fire Nation campsite. They lay on their stomachs about twenty metres from the closest tent and from their vantage point, they could hear everything the soldiers were saying.

It seemed they were in a jovial mood, as hinted at by their immense celebrating with mugs filled with alcohol and large scores of food splayed out around the campfire, surely stolen from nearby villages. The three soldiers were already well past tipsy, as they spoke with heavy slurs and trudged around the campfire with a clumsy attitude.

One of them walked up to Kirima, who still stood with her limbs bound with chains against the wooden pole, and poured his liquor over her head. Kirima didn't respond, and simply remained still and silent, ignoring the taunts and laughs from the firebenders. "Stewpid waterbender," he jeered, waving his empty glass at her. "You made me spill all of mah beer! You'll pay fer this!" He raised the glass over his head and smacked her in the jaw, causing her to emit a loud yelp of pain.

In the grass, Bato had been watching this whole display and was gritting his teeth. By the time Kirima had been hit however, Bato couldn't stand it anymore and was about to charge them right then and there is Katara hadn't put a hand on his forearm, signalling him to calm down.

In a hushed tone, Bato furiously complained, "I can't just lie here and do nothing! She's getting bullied right before my eyes!"

Katara replied, trying to keep both her and Bato cool under the circumstances. "We're not doing _nothing, _Bato, we're gathering intel and waiting for the right time. We won't be helping her if we get killed, remember. These guys might be drunk but that only makes them more dangerous. I promise, if it looks like Kirima is about to get seriously hurt we'll jump into action."

"Katara's right. We've just gotta wait for the right moment," chimed Sokka. "Besides, these guys are totally out of control of their mouths. We could really learn some important stuff about the Fire Nation army by waiting."

Almost as if on cue, Sokka's theory proved correct. One troop, who was seated on a small log, took a large swig from his mug before talking. "How d'you reckon that invasion up north is going?"

"No way we lose it. Did you hear how many ships Zhao took to the Northern Water Tribe? Must've been at least half the ships the Fire Nation owns. He must be really serious about this."

Sokka and Katara both stifled gasps, remembering that Aang was up in the North Pole. They hoped he was okay, and both felt a pang of guilt about leaving him alone without help again.

"This is bad," Sokka muttered. Katara nodded in agreement.

"Don't get ahead of yourself boys," the captain of the trio said, reinstating Katara and Sokka's interest in the conversation. "Don't forget, we still need to take down the Earth Kingdom."

"Yeah, but that's gonna be a cinch with those new war balloons that mechanist guy invented. How can earthbenders attack us when we're in the sky?"

"Praise to that. Looks like this war might just be over soon. And even if those flying whatchamacallits don't do the trick, we still got Sozin's Comet in not too long. That'll win us the war, easy."

"Things are finally turning up Fire."

Sokka's mind was in chaos. War balloons? How in the world would they ever be able to fight flying machines? As far as Sokka knew, the only way to fly in the world was either on Appa or with Aang's glider, and both of those resided currently in the Northern Water Tribe which was _conveniently_ under siege. Life is great. Great!

For the next half hour, nothing good had come out of the warriors. They spent a good while on a tangent talking about their favourite foods, then got into an argument about whether or not the walls of Ba Sing Se actually held secrets. Bato rolled his eyes. Despite being the clear enemy, these Fire Nation people were actually quite funny drunks.

"I'm telling you, the walls have ears! You whisper your secret to them and it locks it away in the bricks! At least that's what those travelling singer people said."

"Oh shut up, you lightweight."

It took another twenty minutes or so, but the moon had now fully risen just as the soldiers began to feel drowsy. One of them had receded to their tent, another was pouring Kirima a cruelly small amount of water to drink, and the other was simply gazing into the fire, entranced by its dancing flames. It was time to strike.

Quickly, the trio converged in the bushes. "What's the plan?" Katara asked, making sure that her voice volume was at an absolute minimum and keeping one eye on the encampment.

"I just saw the firebending one go into the tent, so that just leaves the two non-benders. Bato and I should be able to take care of those non-benders pretty easily, so that leaves Katara with the firebender." He glanced to the side to his sister. "You up for it?"

Katara ground her fist into the earth and stared determinedly into the encampment, the fire of her will burning in her eyes. "Let's do it."

As a unit, they slowly but surely snaked their way up through the grass towards the campsite, where the flora was beginning to thin out, leaving less coverage for a stealthy crawl. The tall grass abruptly stopped about five metres shy of the closest tent, where the three now lay in wait, poised to strike. Sokka raised his right hand and, with his legs folded ready for a swift start, whispered "Three, two, one!" ever so quietly.

But it seemed as if he had forgotten all about their stealth operation, because as soon as Katara, Sokka and Bato had jumped out of the grass and began running to the camp, Sokka yelled at the top of his lungs, "SNEAK ATTACK!"

The two non-benders, who had been falling asleep on the logs surrounding the open flame, stood up with a sudden shock and whipped around, their hindered senses resulting in poor reaction times. They had barely turned around by the time Sokka and Bato had pulled out their clubs and had begun swinging, forcing the two Fire Nation men to stumble backwards into the dirt. Realising their position, the two awkwardly raised their hands in surrender, causing Sokka and Bato to give great big smiles.

Katara, however, was now poised to the side of the tent with the firebender, water whip at the ready. Her anxiety was besting her, after watching Sokka and Bato heroically restraining their captives, and fearing they wouldn't be able to match their feat. After all, they were ambushing the Fire Nation, and Katara had never really fought a firebender hand-to-hand.

"Rather than a whip, try freezing his hands together instead."

Kirima, who was silent as ever during the raid, now opened her eyes to the welcoming sight of her salvation. She eyed the young waterbender with curiosity, unconsciously critiquing the girl's stance and strength over her element. _She's gifted,_ she thought. _Poor thing, she probably never got to learn properly._ "Concentrate on the water molecules within your grasp and solidify the water by compressing them. Think of it kind of like a defensive manoeuvre."

Katara stood, slightly slack-jawed, but nodded. Soon after, the firebender exited his tent, rubbing his eyes when seeing the scene displayed in front of him. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had just woken up from a mild sleep and could only manage to sound out a "Wha…?" before his wrists were forced together by chilling ice. After only a moment, his ankles were frozen together as well, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground with a yelp. He was fuming. He had been bested by some stupid waterbender! Payback would be sweet.

Katara took no notice however, and it took her a moment to figure out what she had actually just done before jumping with glee. "I did it! Sokka! Bato! I did it! Did you see that-"

She never got to finish. The next moments passed by her like a blur.

All too soon, the sky, the plants, her own hands, the moon, everything turned red.

The temporary frozen restraints shackling the firebender to himself spontaneously melted.

"Filthy water peasant!" he snarled, flames leaping out of his bunched fists. He roared and sent a fireblast careening towards Katara, which she only just managed to avoid.

And she ran, ran deep into the forest, chased by a drunken, bloodthirsty firebender and cries from Sokka and Bato.

* * *

"Zhao, don't!"

Aang's plea for restraint fell upon deaf ears, Zhao's ego making himself unresponsive to logical thought. "It's my destiny, Avatar, to destroy the moon and the Northern Water Tribe," he sneered, hoisting Tui further up within the gunny sack. The spirit was thrashing about within the bag, and both Aang and Yue could feel the mortal danger it was in.

Aang tried to appeal to reason. "Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no _idea _what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world!"

"He is right, Zhao," said a shadowy figure standing by the edge of the oasis in a similar spot to Zuko hours earlier. His voice was hoarse and dry, and he spoke with a hidden anger and determination.

"General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Zhao said coolly, unflinching in the face of his new adversary.

Aang gasped. _Iroh! But I thought he was bad? _His eyes drifted warily over to the figure, who had removed his hood to reveal the familiar features of the old general. The sideburns, the forehead wrinkles and the plump belly all seemed to add to Aang's growing confusion. Why would Iroh be on his side? Wasn't he always helping Zuko to try and capture him?

Iroh continued. "I'm no traitor, Zhao. The Fire Nation needs the moon to; we all depend on the balance." He shifted his body into a fighting stance, bending his knees and raising his fists in front of him. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold! Let it go, now!" The old man demanded with such ferocity, causing Zhao to recoil ever-so-slightly.

Zhao hesitantly reopened the bag containing the physical spirit and dropped it back into the pond. Almost instantly, the infinite shades of red defining their reality subsided and returned to the normal palette. Reunited with each other, Tui and La began to encircle each other once more in their endless dance, to the anger of Zhao. _Why should the Moon Spirit survive? Without it, all the waterbenders will be useless! They'll call me Zhao the Moon-Slayer, Zhao the Conqueror of the North, Zhao the Invincible! I'll become a legend, enshrined within our military history, worshipped as a deity, jjust by killing this stupid fish. But… Is Iroh right?_ The hesitation flashed on his face, clearly at odds whether or not slaying this ancient being was the right course of action.

But his composure could only last so long without Zhao's lack of self-control rising to control his actions, as he was wont to do. He yelled, a guttural, primitive sound, and sliced the air with his outstretched hand. A sharp slice of fire bore down onto the lake towards Tui, flames leaping up from the water and recoiling towards the shocked face of Iroh. Any sliver of hope that the Moon Spirit survived the fatal attack could be considered futile, as the moon faded from the night time sky and the world was swallowed into endless shades of grey. The Moon Spirit was dead.

_I've done it! _Zhao thought triumphantly. _I've done it – oh, no._

Iroh's reaction time was unnaturally fast for a man of his stature and age. With a swift leap he jumped towards the four firebenders defending the cowering Zhao and bending fireballs towards him, but was quickly surrounded by his opponents. Zhao saw this as his opportunity to escape, hurrying towards the solace of the shadows of the pond and through the circular entrance of the Spirit Oasis, without so much as a glance back at his Fire Nation entourage. They were sprawled around Iroh on the ground, unconscious, selfishly left behind by their superior. Their fate was now in the hands of the rag-tag group congregated around the koi fish pond.

But Iroh and the others had more pressing matters to attend to, mainly that regarding the newly deceased Moon Spirit. La was weakly circling its counterpart's body within the lake, swimming without intent or purpose. Iroh knelt on the grassy bank and lifted the fish's body out of the water, deeply saddened as he hoisted it into the air.

Yue walked closer to the pond, unable to believe herself what had just occurred. Tears wallowed in her eyelids, and she sunk to her knees on the waterbank, raising her hands to cover her face to sob. "There's no hope now," she wailed between muffled sniffs. "It's over."

As if a switch had been flicked, Aang's tattoos glowed active with a blinding blue light, a source of colour in the now devoid world. His eyes, normally peaceful and filled with the joy and youth of a twelve-year-old boy, now glowed with the might of the sun, staring directly into the pond where La now paused, staring back at the Avatar with the same intensity.

"_NO," _the voice of a thousand Avatars boomed. _"IT'S NOT OVER."_

He walked barefoot into the pond, normally considered an act of sacrilege against the spirits. But Aang paid those customs no heed as he stood directly above La with his fists pressed tightly together. Slowly, but surely, the eyes of the koi began to glow with the same luminosity, as if some mutual agreement had been formed. And then, just like that,

He dropped. And with nothing but the smallest splash, the Avatar had submerged completely into the waist-deep water, his body disappearing without a trace.

But he wasn't the only one to have escaped. If Ren had been more careful, he would have seen his dangerous Fire Prince prisoner burn himself free of his rope restraints. He would have seen the firebender slink out of the Spirit Oasis moments after Zhao.

But most importantly, he would never had known that Zuko had been awake that entire time, and that he had seen what the Fire Nation had done to the Moon Spirit. And despite Zuko's inherent patriotism for his homeland, after witnessing the atrocities of war, the first seed of doubt as to the righteousness of this war had been sown into his mind.

* * *

_Don't stop, Katara._

_Don't look back._

_Keep on running, run from the danger._

_Focus…_

A fireball whizzing past her left ear reverted Katara's consciousness to the physical, sickeningly red, world around her. Her legs had been on autopilot, blindly running around the forest trying to escape this drunken bender who had the sole intent of killing her.

She scurried around a thick oak tree, hand at her chest, panting heavily. She quickly cast a glance furtively around the tree trunk to try and find her pursuant. She could see him in the distance now, his burning fists lighting up the forest with their devilish glow. He was walking slowly, the clumsiness of his alcoholic system causing him to lean lopsidedly to the right.

"Oooooooh water girlllll," the drunken man slurred, punching a fireball towards a nearby tree, satting it alight, "I'm gonna git 'cha! Just come on and peek yer head out!'

Another fireball was sent flying towards a tree close to Katara's right. The hefty force of the fire blast caused the tree to crack and splinter as it fell to the ground, its bark still engulfed in writhing flames and swirling strains of smoke. All that was left of the tree was a burnt stump, jagged at the edges due the tree's forceful felling.

More fireballs were shot from the firebender, each setting their target alight instantly with flame. Small mammals and birds were scared from their branches, each trying to scuttle out to a safer and secure location.

Thick smoke was beginning to suffocate the woods. The flames were beginning to leap from the trees to the dry grass underfoot, setting the kindling alight and spreading the inferno out to other trees. Leaves crackled alight and the firebender, once cocky with desire to slaughter the poor girl, now found himself entrapped within the blaze, fearing for his life.

"Hey, water girl? D'you reckon youse could put out this fire real quick?" he stuttered, trying to back away from the clearing. Dumbly, he fired blasts towards the oncoming flames which only served to increase the ferocity of the bush fire.

Katara could not hear him. She was too busy darting her way from tree to tree, trying to escape the forest before it was completely engulfed. Flames were beginning to lap at her ankles, and large trees were beginning to catch alight. Faintly, she could hear the yells of Sokka, Bato and Kirima through the roar of the flames and the thudding of trees hitting the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the three of them through the thick blanket of smoke, skidding to a halt near a flaming oak and looking on in horror, trying to find Katara.

"Over here!" she yelled, waving her arms about her head, trying desperately to be noticed. Thankfully, she caught Sokka's eye and he frantically pulled on Bato's sleeve, pointing to his trapped sister. The two men began running around the circumference of the spreading fire, trying to get as close as possible to Katara, evading falling branches and weaving about the licking flames.

As much as Katara wanted to reach them however, she couldn't help but look back at the man who had started the fire. It was hard to truly see what was happening to him, but he looked like a lost cause from her vantage point. His legs had become trapped under a thick log and he was screaming for help, for anyone, for some form of salvation. His clothes were alight and his skin was raw and bubbling from the heat. She grimaced. Despite her grudge against this sick firebender for holding Kirima as a captive, for trying to kill her, for setting this beautiful forest alight, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for not being able to help the dying man. No one should suffer like he was now, trapped within his own fire with no means of escape. But unless she wanted to die with him, there was nothing Katara could do.

So she ran. Not to him, but to Sokka, Bato and Kirima, for her salvation and to escape the man she was leaving to die.

But it wasn't long until she collapsed, clutching at her chest, feeling as if part of her soul had been ripped out. She fell to her knees, the shouts of Sokka and Bato sounding more distant than ever, and looked up to the night sky. No longer was the sky an ugly shade of scarlet, but now it was devoid not only of colour, but of the moon. Somewhere, somehow, the Moon Spirit had been destroyed and part of her soul as a waterbender was destroyed with it.

She fell onto her back, eyes struggling to stay open, as flames and smoke obscured her vision of the night sky. She wanted to run, wanted to escape this hellhole but she felt weak and useless, and her muscles were devoid of energy.

Hoarsely, she whispered Aang's name. He must have something to do with this but from her position there wasn't anything she could do to help, and she hated herself for it. He was probably fighting for his life and here she was, lying on the ground in a burning forest, too weak to be able to do anything. It felt pathetic that the most support she could offer was merely whispering his name, and even then it ironically probably brought her more comfort than it did. His name was the last thing she said before she finally drifted into unconsciousness, inept to the sound of Bato and Sokka running through the fires to save her.

* * *

_Avatar, you must help me._

La, Spirit of the Ocean. Together we can save this tribe from invasion.

_Yes. Let us purge the world of these filthy people. Humans are the reason why my love Tui is now dead. Let them all suffer!_

NO. La, Zhao is the reason Tui was destroyed. No good will come of killing everyone. Let us defend the waterbenders. They have been honourable to you both and have worshipped you and your teachings.

_You are right. The Northern Water Tribe has always been loyal and faithful to us. Very well. We will spare them. But the others will _pay _for what they have done. Through their foolish actions they will incur my wrath._

As the bridge between the physical and spirit world, La, I request that we do not kill.. We will merely scare them away with force.

_Fine._

Very well. Let us begin.

* * *

Aang was gone, whisked away within the body of the giant koi monster that dominated the dark skies with its glowing form. Even from within the Spirit Oasis, it appeared to be over fifty metres tall, a towering force over the northern lands. Yet Yue could not care less. All she could think about was the dead koi fish, the one that had so valiantly saved her life so long ago, that had placed some of its own lifeforce within her…

Iroh, noticing the pondering expression upon the princess's face, placed the koi fish back within the water. "Princess, if I may be so bold as to ask, how exactly did you get your white hair?"

"I almost died during childbirth. But my father brought me to Tui and the spirit gave me part of its own life so that I could live. That caused my hair to turn white."

Iroh gasped. "You have been touched by the Moon Spirit, then! Some of its life lives within you!"

And now, it all made sense. Yue always knew that her role was to reunite the warring factions within her tribe. Ever since the outbreak of war, different families had expressed conflicting opinions about the correct course of action for the war. Some wanted to combine with the South for increased strength, others wanted to negotiate an alliance with the Fire Nation, others wanted to send forces to the Earth Kingdom, and others were simply prepared to do nothing. They had caused her father's court to be in a constant state of disarray, constant arguing over even the smallest decisions. Therefore, in order to instigate a peace within the courtroom, he requested that Hahn, the eldest son of one of the largest, most influential families within the tribe, marry his daughter. Initially, she had been publicly against the marriage but after consideration of what the wedding would mean for her homeland, she begrudgingly obliged.

Now, she could see that her destiny was to unite her tribe, but not by marrying some twerp who clearly only saw her for her body and her political power. She could reunite the tribe against their common enemy, but only through sacrificing her life to save the Moon Spirit.

She stood up from her kneeling position and brushed off her overcoat. "Yes, you're right. It gave me life, maybe I can give it back."

She began to walk towards the pond, where the limp form of Tui floated, until a firm hand grasped her wrist, She swivelled around to see Ren standing there, bearing a saddened expression.

"Yue," he began, "You don't have to do this. It shouldn't be your responsibility to give your life for the Moon Spirit. Besides, I promised Arnook that I would protect you!"

Yue paused, then laughed sweetly, masking the waves of emotion rolling over her. "Ren, this is my duty. I realise that now. You have to let me do this."

Ren shook his head. "Please, Yue. I can't fail him again. Not after everything he's done for me. Not after everything that's happened. And I can't fail you, either. Not after how you helped me after my own father left."

Yue stared deeply into the pleading depths of Ren's eyes. Within them, she could see the person she had grown up with ever since she was four years old. The boy who had been unceremoniously dumped into their family, yet was immediately embraced by everyone, the adoptive brother who had always been there to guide and protect her.

She pulled Ren into a tight embrace, her eyes squeezed together to prevent herself from crying. "Ren, I have to do this. I know you just want to protect me but please… please, let me protect you for once." She sensed his hesitation, before he wrapped his own arms around her in a tense embrace.

After a minute, they broke apart, Yue sniffing with tears and Ren with a downcast expression. Without another word, she walked over to Iroh and knelt beside the water again, lifting Tui out of the water placing her hands upon the dead fish's body. Magically, the koi fish began to glow and she could feel the faint pulsing of a heartbeat, as her own rapidly receded. Within mere moments, the koi had returned to swimming fervently in a circle, awaiting for the return of its counterpart.

Iroh, having felt like a third wheel to the emotional conversation between Ren and Yue, now placed his index and middle fingers on Yue's neck, confirming what he already suspected. "She's gone," he bluntly stated, before acknowledging Ren's saddened mood. "You should be very proud of her," he reassured him, "What she did was very noble and selfless."

Ren nodded, still looking down at Yue's body as it began to fade from existence. And then, strangely, she reappeared. Like rays of sunshine through overcast clouds, an ethereal figure of Yue drifted towards the surface of the pond. Indeed it was her, but at the same time, she looked bizarre. Her appearance was ever-so-slightly translucent, and she had shed her Water Tribe clothing for a pale white dress that flowed elegantly behind her. She smiled.

"Goodbye Ren," she said, her ghostly voice reverberating throughout the oasis. "I'll always be with you and Father."

Iroh returned the now-writhing koi fish back to the water, instantly returning the moon to the unnaturally empty night time sky and bringing forth the colour that was left lacking by the absence of the moonlight. As he did so, Yue's form vanished from the pond and Ren was left there, a mixed rush of emotions overwhelming him. As for Iroh, he recognised what to do.

"Well, I think I am about to overstay my welcome," the old man chuckled, rising to his feet to acknowledge Ren in the eye. "You are a brave and strong young man and the Avatar is lucky to have friends such as you. But the Fire Nation has caused much damage to your tribe and if I am found, despite my inactivity within battle, I will surely be persecuted." With a small and courteous bow, Iroh excorted himself towards the main entrance of the Spirit Oasis as the gears began to turn for Ren.

Iroh. _Iroh. _Why did that name sound so strangely familiar? There had never been an Iroh in the Northern Water Tribe, and he didn't know any firebenders. Master Pakku mentioned something about an Iroh, though, didn't he? Once? Yes, only two days ago, when he told me about the Order…

It finally clicked. "Iroh!"

The old man warily turned his body to face the young waterbender, noticibly entering a slightly defensive stance. "Yes?"

"My… my master Pakku told me I had to find you!"

Iroh narrowed his eyes. "I do not know a Master Pakku."

"But he said that you were part of a group, or something?"

"Young waterbender, I would recommend that you do not waste my time. My nephew may be in danger and in a few hours, if I am still here, I will be dead. What do you want?"

An idea came to Ren. He fished into his pocket for the familiar cylindrical Pai Sho piece emblazoned with an image of a flower. "He gave me this," Ren said, displaying the chip into the air for him to see.

At this, Iroh's attitude changed, and immediately dropped his stance, a smile growing on his face. "Ah, so Pakku has finally found himself a candidate?"

"What? No… wait, I thought you said you didn't know Pakku!"

"Of course I didn't tell you! If I said I did I would have given away my secret, no?" Iroh winked.

"Ok, that doesn't matter right now," Ren dismissed, with a wave of his hand. "Look what I wanted to ask you was… can you teach the Avatar firebending?"

Iroh pondered, heavily considering the gravity behind Ren's request. As a Grand Lotus, he was almost obliged to help in the maintenance of balance within the world, a balance that had been seriously misconstrued ever since Sozin's Air Nomad Genocide just under a hundred years ago. Yet, he knew his loyalties lay elsewhere, primarily with the young, scarred Fire Prince that was beginning to feel like his son.

He sighed. "If it were possible for me to do so right now, I would. But unfortunately my responsibilities lie with my nephew first and foremost and I can imagine he would not be too pleased to have to travel with the Avatar. Besides, Aang has not learned earthbending yet, has he not?"

"I don't believe so."

"It is important that he learns the elements in the correct order in order to understand the discipline required for each element. The Order of the White Lotus supposedly faced similar issues when training past incarnations. Now if you excuse me, I must be heading off." With that, Iroh spun on his heel and began to walk back towards the door, before pausing and turning his neck back to Ren. "Find me once the Avatar is ready. Only then will I consider training him."

* * *

_Avatar! Look up! La has returned to us!_

And excellent timing it is. The Fire Navy appears to be abandoning their attack.

_I must return to the Spirit Oasis and ensure that my love is, indeed, safe._

Of course, La. I thank you for your cooperation within disbanding this attack.

_And I thank you, Avatar. May we meet again, in your lifetime or another._

* * *

Sokka held his sister in his arms as they walked back to the Fire Nation camp. He could feel the faint rises and falls of her chest from her breath, and yearned for her eyes to open. Sokka felt guilty for his sister's condition; he should have been able to protect her. If she died tonight he felt it would be on his conscience, his fault, and that thought scared him. He couldn't lose his sister. Despite their petty squabbles and arguments, he would be genuinely lost without her. She had taken over in Sokka's life as a maternal figure like Gran Gran, and he didn't know if he could ever cope without her. And what would Dad think…

_No. _Now wasn;t the time to think about what Hakoda would or wouldn't like. Sokka didn't care if his father would think he was a disappointment for failing to protect Katara. Right now, his only concern was bringing her to a safe place for healing. Hakoda could come second.

They reached the camp, where the two remaining soldiers lay face-up against the ground. They had been knocked unconscious by Sokka and Bato before running after Katara, to make sure they wouldn't try to escape.

Sokka laid Katara's body on the ground by the dead fire, and Kirima knelt down to more closely examine her arm. Indeed, more than just her arm had gotten burnt but that was where it was worst and where it could most likely get infected.

"It's pretty bad, but she'll live," Kirima said matter-of-factly, not looking up at Sokka or Bato. "I can heal it, but I'll need some water. You," she pointed to Sokka, "find all the water you can, and you," she turned her gaze to Bato and faltered. Bato had been gazing down upon her with a strong sense of admiration and only just noticing this, Kirima blushed slightly.

Wow, how similar he looked from eleven years ago. Still with that same long face, but she could see how the years had added wrinkles to his already-wizened expression. His body was more muscular and toned, but was burdened with the aftermath of a brutal battle, bearing a hideous burn mark all along his arm. He had been through it all, clearly a changed man from the one she was forced to leave behind so long ago. And yet, those eyes of him still remained untouched, still filled with the same courage and love she had fallen for all those years before.

Realising that she had stopped all of a sudden, she stuttered quickly, "B-Bato, can you get a blanket or something for Katara? She'll need to get out of these clothes." Bato and Sokka nodded and ran off to their respective chores while Kirima examined the rest of Katara's body.

Within moments, Bato returned with his arms full of fur pelts and thin sheets and Sokka with two large vases filled with water. Kirima set them all down beside her and bent two small streams of water out of the vessels into each of her hands. The water began to glow under her control, much to Sokka's surprise, and placed them on Katara's right arm, healing her worst burn first.

"It's a shame we had to meet again under such dire circumstances, Bato," she said, looking up and smiling at Bato without taking her concentration away from her patient.

Bato grinned broadly. "Agreed. But what better way to chat than over an injured body, just like old times?" Bato was so uncharacteristically awkward around Kirima, it made Sokka want to cringe. But what he saw as strange in Bato, Kirima clearly found endearing.

She giggled. "Just like old times. Still have the same awful sense of humour I see?"

"Well I made you laugh, didn't I?"

"I suppose you are right." She then turned her gaze over to Sokka, and began sizing him up. Sokka, feeling pressured under Kirima's spotlight, unconsciously placed his hands over his chest and groin as if he were butt naked. "Who's your friend here?"

Bato beckoned towards Sokka. "This is Sokka. Hakoda's boy, you remember?"

Kirima looked genuinely shocked. "Kya's son? My, you've grown. The last time I saw you you'd have been no older than four. How is your sister doing?"

"Well, you're kind of healing her right now, so…"

"Oh, my. This is Katara? She's become such a beautiful young woman. She takes after her mother quite a lot, you know. I can really see the resemblance."

This made Sokka feel self-conscious. He had long ago forgotten what his mother had actually looked like, and had since replaced that image with Katara's. It hadn't really been anything he'd thought about too much, but he felt sad that he had no recollection of the woman who had impacted his life so much. He was also annoyed that Kirima, not even a part of her family, could remember someone who had died _six years ago_ so vividly.

"Can we stop mentioning Mom right now? Right now I don't want to focus on a family member I've already lost when I'm about to lose another."

Kirima's eyes widened. "Oh yes! Sorry, I – I forgot that she died. Sorry." She turned her conversation away from Sokka and back to Bato, where they began to bond again over the body of his comatose sister, who seemed to be resting so peacefully. But Sokka wasn't peaceful. Something wasn't right.

Kya had died six years ago, when the Fire Nation attacked his village. They were looking for the last waterbender, his sister, and his mother had bravely given her life to spare Katara. So how could Kirima have ever known that Kya had died, when Kirima had supposedly been captured eleven years ago? Something wasn't right. Kirima was hiding something.

Still, he didn't press the issue. He sat back quietly, holding Katara's left hand for what felt like hours, zoning in and out of Bato and Kirima's conversation. He had a million thoughts going through his head at once, yet none of them were where they should've been, with Katara.

Finally, Kirima stopped. She took her hands away and placed what little water was left into one of the vases. Sokka was dumbfounded by how much healthier Katara already looked. Her skin was looking more natural already, her cuts and bruises were relatively faded and her breaths were becoming deeper. He helped strip Katara down to her wrappings and bundled her up in the blankets.

Once, Katara was safe in Sokka's arms again, Bato decided it would be best to head back to the village while the two Fire Nation troops were still unconscious. And as Bato and Kirima lagged behind to gradually redevelop their bond, Sokka was left holding both the physical baggage of Katara and the mental baggage of Kirima's twisted truth.

* * *

Zuko was shocked. Right before his eyes, Zhao had just been snatched by some crazy glowing water fist and was dragged down to the depths of the canals of the Norther Water Tribe, presumably drowned. But what shocked him the most was that he felt sorry.

Sorry, for the man who had tricked him so many times. Sorry, for the man that caused him to become a public enemy of the Fire Nation. Sorry, for the man who hired a band of pirates to assassinate him by blowing up his ship. But he quickly tried to stamp those thoughts out of his mind. His father said that feelings of empathy meant weakness.

He gazed down at the still-rippling water where Zhao had vanished through, then turned his attention to Iroh, who was walking down the bank of the canal towards him.

Iroh stopped just below the bridge Zuko stood on, looking up at him with adoring and worried eyes. "Zuko, are you hurt?" Zuko just grunted in response.

"What happened to Zhao?"

"… he's gone."

"Did you kill him?"

"No. The Ocean Spirit took him. I tried to save him."

"Hmmmm." Iroh stood ther stroking his beard, curious as to the whereabouts of the admiral's body. Surely, if drowned, he would have floated back to the surface by now. But his thoughts were silenced when Zuko spoke.

"What he did, with the Moon Spirit… that was wrong, right?"

Iroh hadn't known Zuko had seen what Zhao did to Tui. But nonetheless, he responded. After all, he always sought to draw out Zuko's inquisitive and benevolent nature and now seemed like an opportune moment to help his nephew. "Yes. Slaying the Moon Spirit was depraved and wrong. We all require the balance of the moon, not just the Water Tribes."

Zuko did not reply. He simply paused, before turning to briskly walk towards the main wall, with Iroh in tow. They understood the necessity of leaving soon in order to elude capture from the Northern Water Tribe.

They managed to reach a floating hunk of ship on the outskirts of the city just before dawn, and crafted a makeshift sail from a piece of tarp. Before long, the two family members began to navigate their way out of the water strewn with bodied warships and the occasional corpse of a Fire Nation soldier that had floated to the surface. Zuko shivered. This was the part of war he hated the most.

"I am surprised Prince Zuko," his uncle said, fixing the sail to a plumbing pipe they were using for a mast. "Surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar."

"I'm tired."

"Then you should rest. A man needs his rest."

And they drifted, off into the vast expanse of the northern seas, watching the billowing smoke clouds from the retreating Fire Navy gradually subside and the walls of the Northern Water Tribe fade into the horizon.

* * *

The Northern Water Tribe had been decimated from the Fire Nation's attack. Houses were demolished, the great wall that had safeguarded them for so long now bore giant holes, and many people, warriors and innocent citizens alike, had been injured in the harsh few Fire Nation soldiers that were left at the tribe were rounded up and herded into a makeshift prison, with their hands and feet bound together in chains to prevent escape by firebending.

But what hurt the tribe more than anything was the revelation of Yue's death. Aang had been the one to break the news to the people, and it broke his heart to tell Arnook his only daughter had died.

"I'm sorry about your daughter."

"It's okay. The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born. I saw a beautiful, brave young woman become the Moon Spirit." He sighed, wistfully gazing into the rising sun. "I knew this day would come. And I'm so proud of Yue… but so sad too."

Ren had been quiet the whole time throughout Aang's delivery of the news to everyone. His jaw was clenched shut, his arms folded over his chest, and his eyes wrenched shut to keep out his hidden tears. He couldn't get rid of the images from his spirit-induced dream, of all the people around him telling him he was a failure. And they were _right._ He'd failed to keep the tribe in balance, he'd failed to keep Yue from death, and he'd failed to get Aang a firebending teacher.

The hours passed, and still Ren didn't say a word. Only when Aang began to pack up to leave the tribe (after a recommendation from Pakku to find an earthbending teacher) did he work up the courage to finally speak to Arnook. He walked up to the tribal chief with his head hung and hands clenched by his sides.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save her. I'm sorry for failing you."

Arnook pulled him into a fierce hug. "It's okay. You did everything you could and that's more than I can ask."

"But she was your daughter? How could you not be angry?"

"Because as I considered her my daughter, I consider you a son just as much. I always knew this day would come, and I know you did everything you could to try and save her."

Ren sniffed. It was out of character for him to get so emotional. He stepped back and unfurled his arms form around Arnook and wiped his eyes with his parka sleeve. "I won't fail you again, I promise. I'll go with the Avatar and I'll make this tribe proud."

Arnook smiled. "Spoken like a future chief."

Meanwhile, Aang and Pakku were also exchanging their goodbyes, albeit highly less emotional.

"What do you mean, you're not coming?!"

"I'm sorry, did I not make myself clear?"

"I need someone to train me to waterbend or else I'm done for!"

Ren interrupted the conversation having said his goodbyes to Arnook. "I'll be travelling with you in Pakku's place."

Aang swivelled round with a childish grin on his face. "Really? You're coming?"

Ren nodded, his face as serious as ever. "Indeed. I'm ready to set off whenever you are, Avatar."

Aang cocked his head. "You know, you can just call me Aang." Ren nodded, not wanting to say more.

Within the hour, Aang, Momo and Ren were on Appa's back, flying away from the icy wasteland of the North Pole. Ren had been given time to pack but brought precious little with him; just some gold pieces, food supplies, a few maps given to him by Pakku and a collection of scrolls to help tutor Aang. Ren sat on the saddle casually, looking over his shoulder at the gradually disappearing scene of his home. He felt bad, abandoning his people during a crisis, but if the Avatar was not taught the elements and did not end the war then the annihilation of the Northern Water Tribe would be inevitable. But just as he felt bad about leaving his home, he felt a desire. He needed to prove himself again, not just in the eyes of this young Avatar or Arnook, but to himself. He wanted the emotional security to know that he wasn't a failure and a disappointment, and he needed that personal acceptance before others could begin to convince him he wasn't a failure.

But as one rider faced negative problems of coping away from home and with mentality issues, the other was surprisingly happy. For the first time in ages, Aang would no longer be alone on his travels. Sure, Ren was no Katara and Sokka, and he was still so emotionally isolated from Aang, but at least he would have company on the long, tedious journey. It felt good.

* * *

It was past midday by the time Katara had woken up back in the Earth Kingdom village. She arose from her pillow, rubbing her eyes, to find herself lying in her bed in a fresh pair of clothes. Her old Earth Kingdom ones, burnt and tattered from the night's terrors, were draped over the back of a wooden chair nearby. Katara tried to pull herself up and out of bed, but flinched when she put weight on her right arm. She lifted it out of the covers and quickly placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a yell.

Her left arm was covered completely in bandages, and underneath the wraps she could feel a slight stinging sensation.

"Hey sis."

The sound of Sokka's voice shocked Katara. Indeed, there he was, sitting at the foot of his bed with his hands clasped between his knees. His facial expression was muddled; he appeared happy to see Katara yet she could see there was some underlying stress masked by his smile. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. What happened to my arm? When did we get back from the camp? Is… is the moon okay?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, one thing at a time. We left the campsite a few hours after you passed out in the bushfire, because we were waiting for Kirima to heal your arm with her waterbending magic." He beckoned towards her arm. "You burnt it pretty badly last night. Kirima spent ages trying to help it get better with some of her waterbending magic." He wiggled his fingers towards Katara, eliciting a small giggle from her. "And yeah, the moon's okay. Do you know what happened? I wanted to ask Kirima but she and Bato have been giving me the oogies for _ages._"

Katara giggled. "Sokka, grow up. And I'm not really sure what happened with the moon but it probably had something to do with Aang. I think something bad happened to the Moon Spirit."

"Like what?"

"I dunno, but I think that's why I collapsed. The part of me that's a waterbender was hurt somehow when I saw that the moon had gone. I just couldn't move anymore."

"Do you feel better now?"

She shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess. If the moon is back now then I haven't got anything to worry about, do I?"

"Yeah you're right." Sokka paused, and a look of hesitation flashed across his face.

"Sokka, what's wrong?"

Sokka took in a big breath of air and said in a surprisingly timid tone, "Apparently Kirima has something she needs to tell all three of us. And judging by the way she said it, it doesn't sound too good. She wanted to tell us as soon as you woke up."

Almost as if on cue, the door to the cabin swung open and the two adults strode in, arms linked. Bato bore a genuine smile, something Katara hadn't seen in a long time, and she finally saw what Kirima really looked like. When her face wasn't masked by her long, frayed hair, she seemed actually quite good-looking. She had dark skin like anyone from their tribe, a small nose and light-blue eyes, that locked onto Katara as soon as they entered.

Bato was the first to react, running from Kirima's side to kneel beside the bed frame and place a hand on Katara's shoulder. "Katara! You're awake!"

"Now that you're awake, I have some information for all of you. You may want to take a seat." Katara shuffled up more to the ehad of her bed to make room for Sokka, who sat down between the siblings. The three of them looked onwards to Kirima, who stood confidently.

"As Bato may or may not have told you, back when I lived in the Southern Water Tribe I was not only a waterbender, but an astronomer. I would chart the night skies and the phases of the moon, to help our hunters navigate while on expeditions and to provide security as to when our benders would be weaker if we were attacked.

When I escaped the Fire Nation prison that the other waterbenders were contained in, I noticed something along my travels at night. I noticed how the Moon and Earth were moving around the Sun, and I was able to deduce that there will be a solar eclipse within the next few months."

Unsure as to what this meant, Sokka spoke up. "What does that mean, though? Why is that news?"

Kirima smiled. "Because firebenders lose their fire during a solar eclipse. The Fire Nation will be completely vulnerable."

"…oh," was Sokka's only response, his jaw hanging limply open. _This was big,_ he thought. _Especially if they wanted to invade soon, if the Fire Nation doesn't know about this then we have a chance to end the war completely._

"There's more." Kirima paused.

"When I was taken from the Southern Water Tribe, they sent me to a prison within the colonies in the Earth Kingdom where they keep all the other waterbenders. But strangely enough, three years ago, we got a prisoner that _wasn't _a bender. It was unheard of, even amongst the inmates that had been there for thirty or more years."

"But so what? If they're so important then why haven't you told us who they are yet?" Sokka yelled, clearly infuriated. "You've been acting weird ever since you said Katara looked like Mom last night. What aren't you telling us?"

"I'm not quite sure how to say it is why…"

Now it was Katara's turn to get angry. "Kirima, what the hell is going on?"

Kirima swallowed, looking at Bato before returning a fierce, strong stare towards Katara. Nothing could prepare them for the gravity of her next words.

"… it's your mother, Katara. She's still alive."

* * *

**A / N: thisstoryisAUthisstoryisAUIcandowhatIwantscrewitKyaisbackbaby**

**Also, I know it would make more sense for the Fire Nation to hold their prison within their own borders as that makes logical sense, considering Hama broke out of the prison and lives in the Fire Nation, but I don't want to have to wait until the very end to find the prison.**

**Sorry about the ending, the last bits were probably a bit scrappy. I just wanted to get this chapter out, I feel like I've been sitting on it for ages and I want to start writing my next chapter. I'm really excited for where I can take this story now. And as always, please remember to leave a review if you want!**


	7. Rewriting the Past

Chapter 7 – Rewriting the past

**So sorry this took a while to come out, I've been pretty busy with school lately and now that school's online I seem to somehow be getting more work than normal. But this is just a chapter to explain everything. **

**This is also the most mature chapter thus far in the story and I'm not sure if there's going to be anything worse than this in the story yet.**

* * *

_-Six years ago-_

"Go find your dad, sweetie. I'll handle this."

Kya's voice was firm and adamant, determined to protect her daughter Katara at whatever cost. The eight year old girl was standing by the doorway, body trembling, as her feet were frozen in shock at the sight of the firebender towering over her mother. Her hands were held together tightly, and her normally sparkling and sweet eyes were filled with dread.

But thankfully she understood. She ran through the fur curtains covering the doorframe and out into the battlefield outside, in a desperate search for her father. Kya could hear her yells from inside the walls of her igloo of "_Father! Dad! There's a strange man in our house!"_

Satisfied that her daughter was no longer in harm's way, she turned around once more to face the firebender. He was an aging man, the first wrinkles of old age showing at the corners of his face, yet his size still outclassed Kya. He may have been older, but he was surely stockier and more musclier.

"Now tell me, who is it? Who's the waterbender?" he spat at Kya, causing Kya to recoil slightly at his tone.

"There are no waterbenders here!" Kya hissed back. "The Fire Nation took them all away a long time ago!"

"You're lying. My source says there's one waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe. We're not leaving until we find the waterbender!"

That made Kya on edge. A source? There couldn't be! There weren't any more traders that came to the South Pole anymore and there was no one in the tribe that could have done such a treacherous act. _Or at least, _she thought, _I hadn't thought anyone would do that._ But that wasn't important. What was important was figuring out how to save her daughter.

"If I do, do you promise…" she trailed off, closing her eyes and prepared herself for the worst. She was faced with an extremely difficult decision. Her daughter, Katara, was the waterbender these Fire Nation troops were so badly looking for, and she knew full well what would happen to her daughter were she caught. She would probably be sent to a prison, where the other waterbenders were kept, and she wouldn't last a minute. She was an eight year old girl, hardly capable of catching a fish let alone learning to survive in an environment such as a prison. She could simply not risk getting caught. Yet if Kya took her place, it would surely only delay the inevitable. Katara would be caught someday and it was only a matter of time before she would surely be whisked away.

But that day wouldn't be today. Kya needed to make sure of that.

"…do you promise to leave the rest of the village alone?" she finished, opening her eyes to see Yon Rha nod in response. "It's me. Take me as your prisoner."

The man's eyes flared nefariously, and he smiled cruelly as he spoke. "I'm afraid I'm not taking prisoners today," he slurred, curling his hands into tight fists and summoning fireballs in each hand.

For the first time, Kya became fearful. She was willing to sacrifice her freedom for her daughter, and she had presumed herself to be just as volunteering to lay down her life. Yet that mentality dissipated quickly and her eyes, once filled with bravery and courage in the face of the firebender, were now full of fear and regret. But she was a survivor. She wouldn't die today. Not here.

The firebender brought his fist back, flaming tendrils dancing out of the minute gaps within his clenched fingers. He prepared himself for the finishing move, setting his target for the pathetic woman who had become paralysed on the ground in front of him. But before he could kill her, burn her, rid the world of this useless woman, she spoke. Out of turn, mind you.

"Then don't take me as a prisoner!" she pleaded holding her hands up in front of her face. The soldier hesitated, but still kept his flaming fist poised to strike. Peering out from her fingers, Kya saw that the man had paused. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself.

"Don't take me as a prisoner… take me as a concubine." It was desperate, it was pathetic, it was everything Kya normally wasn't, but she had been driven to extreme measures.

After a moment, the firebender's lips turned upwards in a cruel smile and his eyes narrowed, now seeing the tribal woman in a new regard.

He hated to admit it, but he was a lonely man. Nearing his fifties, he had still not found a partner and had begun to grow lonely. He spent what little of his wage he had left after tax and catering for his mother on ugly prostitutes in a nearby town. He had never been able to feel satisfied with his life. But now, with this woman practically throwing herself at him for her own survival, he could see the potential. Yes, he could see now that she was actually quite attractive. She would make a fine concubine.

She, on the other hand, despised herself. She had just offered herself to an ugly, pathetic man for the sake of her survival. She hated everything about that and in that moment, regretted picking sexual servitude over a fiery death. She hated that now, for as long as her life would exist, she would live without the comfort of her family.

The firebender strutted over to Kya, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up to her feet, all the while devilishly eyeing her up and down. "We'd best be moving," he purred, "our little raid should be over soon." His eyes suddenly locked still, staring at her neckline. "Take that off. No Water Tribe jewellery in the Fire Nation."

Kya sighed. Why the necklace? The last thing she would have to remember Hakoda by? Was this the final cost of her survival? She reached round and loosened the strap from around her neck, lifting it up and over her head.

She knelt back down and placed it on the floor in the middle of the room, hoping Hakoda would see it and know what had happened. Vaguely, she hoped that this would help him one day find her.

No sooner had she placed the necklace on the ground was she yanked back on her feet. With his free hand, the firebender blasted a massive hole in the back of the igloo, opening up a new entrance leading directly to the back wall of the tribe, unguarded and unwatched ass everyone else was fighting off the invaders. The firebender ran, with Kya half-dragged alongside him to the wall.

With another hefty blast, the back wall cracked open, leaving a steaming hole leading to the frozen wasteland beyond. "Can't have it looking like a waterbender escaped, can we?", the firebender sneered with his twisted grin. He stepped through the exit with Kya dawdling in tow, keeping her eyes and head down so as to mask her tears.

They walked around the perimeter of the wall, keeping careful so as to not get spotted by any Water Tribe warriors still defending it. From outside Kya could hear the muffled sounds of yells and the clanging of weapons, making her blood curdle. She could only imagine what was happening inside. She knew how brutal these raids could be. After all, her friend Kirima had been taken in one just like this. Blood had stained the snow for weeks afterwards.

Finally, they had made it to the hulking frame of the Fire Nation battleship. Its port entrance had been lowered completely down to reveal a polished steel ramp leading into the underbelly of the ship. The entrance was flanked by two guards wielding long spears, who snapped to attention once Kya's captor came into view.

"Pack it up," he snarled at the two. "We're done here. We've found what we were looking for. Let's not spend any more time in this shithole." The two nodded and marched inside the ship, leaving Kya and the firebender alone on the ramp. Turning to face Kya, he spoke. "Get a good look of this dump, because it's the last you'll ever see of it." He laughed, and Kya turned around to face the now-decimated Southern Water Tribe.

Igloos lay crumpled and collapsed on the ground. Sealskin rugs and tents were all aflame, with old women viciously waving at them to try and douse the fires. Old women were tending to young warriors' wounds, while a growing mound of unmoving bodies lay to their side. Presumably all dead. Children were huddled in the back of the tribe, whimpering and clinging onto one another for dear life. Among those kids she could see her son, Sokka, standing valiantly in front of the herd of young children. He held his little boomerang aloft and was doing his best to defend those little kids. _So much like his father, _she thought. _I'm going to miss you so much my little warrior. I love you._

She looked around further and could see Hakoda and Katara running desperately through the masses back towards their home. Her heart tore at her chest, realising she never got a proper chance to say goodbye to any of them. She prayed that the necklace Hakoda once gave her would be solace enough. _Hakoda, Katara, I'm so sorry. I gave myself up so weakly and I never even got to say goodbye. I love you both so much._

The blare of a horn resounded throughout the scene, and the Fire Nation soldiers on the ground all perked their heads towards the ship. The firebender noticed this too, and yanked Kya further inside. She could see all the Fire Nation soldiers start to run back towards the ship, met with no resistance from the Water Tribe warriors who were exhausted from the day's battle. They left behind bloody footprints in the snow, sending a chill up Kya's spine.

Once the last man arrived aboard, the main entrance to the hull of the ship began to creak closed as the navy boat pulled away from the icy shore. Kya was granted one last desperate glimpse of her homeland before it was rudely shut off by a clunk, causing the hull to descend into complete darkness.

Oil lamps slowly lit up, one by one, providing an eerie glow to display to harsh interior. Racks of weapons and machinery were piled up against the walls, and brutish Fire Nation soldiers were streaming into narrow halls to dormitories and to the deck. Soon, the only two that were left were Kya and her captor, who held an evil glint in his eye.

He swung her around quickly and pressed his dirty, greasy lips onto Kya's. Her eyes widened with shock and dismay as his hands quickly scoured her body and his tongue forced its way into Kya's mouth, making her consciously repress the urge to vomit. His hands felt coarse and gangly, nothing like Hakoda's strong yet gentle grasp.

The man pulled away abruptly, and grinned at her evilly. He began marching through the corridors, tightly holding Kya's wrist and leading her through the labyrinth of metal. All around her she could hear the sounds of men laughing and grunting, presumably admiring the spoils of their most recent conquest. She felt miserable. This was life now. The rest of her days, spent carrying out this disgusting little man's darkest desires. She shuddered.

The two approached a heavy metal door at the end of a hallway, adorned with a small, crimson raven insignia. The man opened the door and beckoned Kya inwards with his free hand, causing Kya to gulp. She knew this display of choice was merely a façade; she had no other choice than to enter the room. She stepped gingerly into the room, and flinched as the man roughly slapped her rear as she passed him by. The room was lit with wax candles and was more well-decorated than the rest of the ship she had seen thus far, with traditional tapestries hanging against the walls and a window displaying a view of the Southern Ocean. The ice of her homeland was already far away in the distance.

From behind her, she heard the door slam shut. Swivelling around, she gasped at the sight of the man approaching her, unfastening his belt. "It's about time we got ourselves acquainted," he slurred, pulling down his pants. Kya clenched her eyes shut.

"The name's Yon Rha. You and me are going to have such fun together."

* * *

Three years had passed, and Kya felt cheated. She hadn't had the slightest bit of fun.

Those three years had been the worst of her life. Trapped in the confines of Yon Rha's property, she was forced into a life of sexual servitude and wasn't permitted to exit the grounds. Her needs were always forfeit to his, and she had been violently abused and raped countless times.

But she had to suck it up. She couldn't fight back. Not if she wanted to risk exposing that she wasn't in fact a waterbender, in which case she would surely be killed on the spot for betraying Yon Rha. If that were to happen, she knew full well that Yon Rha would only go sailing right back to the Southern Water Tribe and kill every last one of them until he stumbled across her precious Katara. And by the spirits she was never going to let that happen.

But she just couldn't bear it there anymore. She couldn't go on living like a servant and surviving on meagre food and water rations. She had to find some way out of here and escape this blasted house, even if she would never be able to return home for risk of endangering the tribe.

Fortunately, the other servants had warmed up to Kya's situation. Yon Rha and his mother also lived with two elderly servants stolen from Earth Kingdom villages, who pitied Kya for wasting her prime years in this hole. Gui, a groundkeeper who had been taken after failures to pay the unfair taxes the colonialists had set on his village, had shown Kya a secret passage through a flower bush away from the main entrance. While the maid, Tao, pack Kya a bag full of supplies, clothes, maps and money for her escape.

She planned to travel to the Earth Kingdom and live in a recluse village, somewhere the Fire Nation couldn't touch her. She had considered moving to one of the abandoned air temples, but she had decided that she wouldn't be able to be self-sufficient and grow her own food at such high altitudes. But otherwise, she just wanted to wait this war out, if it ever ended at all, and then go back home. Hopefully Hakoda was waiting for her and hadn't replaced her. Hopefully Katara and Sokka were both still safe.

Kya could worry about that later right now, because currently she only had the luxury of whether or not she had been found missing yet or not. It would only be a matter of time until Yon Rha wanted satisfaction, and she needed to be long gone by the time that happened The weather was extremely stormy luckily, so the heavy rain helped to mask the sound and imprints of her footsteps.

She reached the edge of the property after a minute of gathering her things and muttering a quick goodbye and thank you to Gui and Tao, and squeezed her way through the rose flower bush Gui showed her. The hole was only a small gap between the muddy ground and the bush, only about 40 centimetres high. Kya had to get down on her chest and crawl through, pushing her bag through first.

Once she was on the other side, she stopped to collect her breath. She was really doing this. She was actually going to escape that sick, demented man!

In pure instinct, she raised her arms above her head and started laughing, letting the rain streak down her skin and wash away residue dirt left by her escape. Of course, she couldn't stay like this for long, she should get moving. But this was just such a sweet moment, it would be rude to not savour it.

Kya was brought back to her senses by a clapping coming from a nearby tree. She tentatively turned around and slowly brought her hands back down as she saw a hooded figure emerge from the shadows behind the trunk. He continued to clap, and four more figures appeared from the shadow and flanked him. Kya's heart fluttered with horror.

"Y-Yon Rha? This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" she pleaded, staring up into the face of the clapping man. Two silhouettes removed their hoods to reveal the skull-shaped helmets of the Fire Nation army, and fell into a defensive stance.

Yon Rha chuckled. "Kya, Kya, Kya. I always thought you'd be better than this. Yet trying to escape? This is unbecoming of you."

"But how? How did you know I was going to escape? The only other people who knew were…" Kya trailed off, realising what had happened. At this, the two remaining hidden faces removed their hoods to reveal Yon Rha's two housekeepers, each looking down at Kya with equal parts contempt and disgust.

"What? You thought Gui and Tso would betray me after so many years of service? Og course they told me what you intended to do. They're _loyal _to me, which is more than I can say for you. I just can't believe you actually went ahead with it. I thought we had something special. But I clearly can't trust you again after this, and I don't want someone who doesn't trust me"

Kya sank to her knees, her head hung. This was how she was to die. "Be done with it then," she groaned, resigned.

Yon Rha smirked. His hand stretched outward and his palm lit alight, a large flame dancing over the coarse skin. "You know how I normally deal with these situations but frankly, you don't deserve it." He snuffed out his fire and grabbed Kya's face with his hand, yoinking her awkwardly onto her feet until their faces were a mere inch apart. He suddenly looked furious and his eyes, usually dormant ever since his resignation from the Southern Raiders, burned with a newfound intensity Kya had never seen before.

"No, death is too good for you," he continued, growling. "I want you to _rot_, I want you to spend the rest of your life withering away in jail, regretting the day you took my gracious hospitality for granted. And when you die a sad, pathetic death, I want you to remember my face and who put you there."

"I hate you!" she snarled through gritted teeth, returning Yon Rha's intense stare right back at him. Spirits, she wanted to kill this man. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

"Well, now that I see all love is lost." He released his vice grip on Kya's face and turned around so she was facing his back. "Soldiers! Arrest this whore! She is an enemy of the Fire Nation and a treacherous waterbender. I want you to transport her immediately so she can rot with her other grotesquely inferior bender comrades."

The two men standing either side of Yon Rha stepped forward and hoisted Kya up by her arms. They began todrag her through the mud, but Kya kept fighting. She was twisting and turning, screaming at Yon Rha, desperately doing anything to avoid imprisonment.

That was, until, the brutal fist of one of the guards came crashing down onto her head, making her collapse limply to the ground. Then all was black.

* * *

"Get your hands off me!" Kya exclaimed, as she was dragged through the filthy halls of the gaol. Hands on either side groped metal bars and eyes that may have been familiar to Kya, had she cared to look, watched on curiously as she was pulled towards a cell. She continued to kick about, fruitlessly resisting her imprisonment, until she fell silent from a kick in the ribs.

The prison was an elaborate maze of cells, each room surrounded by several feet of concrete. There was no plumbing whatsoever visible on the walls or on the ceilings, which was meant to render the waterbenders helpless. Yet, Kya noticed, several of the benders were kept in cages suspended over a large hole

She was escorted to a cell with another guard stationed in front, who was ready to open the door. He undid the lock and Kya was thrown inside, followed by the sound of the door slamming shut. Trying to regain her bearings, Kya stumbled up against a wall, trying to get to her feet. The room was as close to barren, the only things occupying its space was a metal table bolted to the ground, two mats situated on the floor, and a person sitting cross-legged on the mat furthest from Kya, looking at her uncertainly.

Wait. Another person. Kya swivelled her head immediately and took in the person's appearance as they slowly stood up, equally as dumbfounded in the other's appearance. It was crazy how much she looked like Kya's old friend. The same long black hair, the same brown skin, the same unusually light blue eyes, much brighter than anyone else's from the tribe. In fact…

"…Kirima?"

At this, the other girl's eyes widened even further. "Kya?" she enquired, edging further towards Kya, hands stretching out towards her face. All of a sudden, Kirima jumped towards her and flung her arms around her neck, excaliming, "Kya! I can't believe it's really you!"

Kya laughed, a genuine smile forming on her face for what felt like the first time since she left the Southern Water Tribe. She wrapped her arms around Kirima and returned the embrace, holding her old friend close. Kya let out a heavy sigh through her nose, and sunk her forehead into the nook of Kirima's neck. "Oh, Kirima, I've missed you so much. I was worried I was never going to see you again," she confessed, eliciting a small laugh from Kirima.

After a minute of sobbing and laughing the two women broke apart, tears in each of their eyes and enormous grins on their faces. Kya took the opportunity to see how her friend had been coping with life in prison, and the results were unfortunately as expected. Kirima's hair was fraying and her skin, once a rich tone, was paler. Her appendages were skinnier and her face had clearly aged, with more wrinkles showing on her forehead and eye sockets. But her light-blue eyes still remained untouched, still containing the mirth of her youth, and her smile had not changed.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Kirima finally said, now properly realising the gravity of the scenario. "They've only been imprisoning waterbenders and I didn't think that you were… can you waterbend now?"

Kya grimaced. She turned her head to face the cell door where a guard presumably stood outside and spoke in a loud, over-exaggerated tone. "Yes, I am in fact a waterbender now, Kirima! It is such a shame that I was caught and placed here in this prison!"

Turning back to Kirima, who wore a puzzled expression, Kya placed a hand to her lips. "I'm still not a waterbender," she whispered into Kirima's ear. "But the Southern Raiders were going to take the last one, so I gave myself up instead and pretended to be one. And right now, everyone from the Fire Nation thinks I still am one, so I don't want to know what will happen if they find out I'm not."

Kirima was dismayed, but made sure to conceal her verbal exclamations. "But I thought I was the last waterbender from the South after Hama! Why did they attack again?"

Kya sighed. "My daughter, Katara, is a waterbender. I gave myself up six years ago so that she could survive."

Kirima's hands went up to her mouth. "Oh, spirits. Kya, I'm so sorry. You're so brave for protecting her like that."

Kya nodded, raising a hand to brush away a stray tear. "it was hard to have to leave my family like that, but that was the only way. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if something were to have happened to Katara or Sokka that day."

"They must've put an informant in the tribe or something. There weren't any raids for ages and then all of a sudden, they came for Katara. There's no other explanation. No one from outside of the tribe has ever seen her bend, no traders, nothing. She's only done it a handful of times anyhow."

Kirima nodded. "That makes sense. But wait, if you say that was three years ago, why did it take you so long to get here?"

Kya looked away. "I was… indebted to someone for a while. I'd rather not talk about it right now, if you don't mind. Once I've recovered, maybe."

"Of course, Kya. You must've had a rough time since I last saw you. I don't want to make it any worse. But there is a silver lining, though. All of the other people from the tribe that are here are going to be so happy to see you again!"

Kya flashed a fake smile, retreating onto her bed and curling her knees up to her chest. Right now, more than anything, she wanted to be back home with her family. She knew that seeing all of the tribe members would do nothing but trigger memories of the people she left behind. But such was life. She had to keep looking forward and hoping for the best if she ever wanted to see Hakoda, Katara or Sokka ever again.

"Yeah, I've missed everybody," she replied, unsure herself who she was really talking about.

A brief silence ensued. "Hey, Kya?"

"Yeah?"

"… How's Bato doing?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask."

* * *

**Notes: **

**By no way do I view this as any form of redemption for Yon Rha. He is imo the most twisted character within the series, and I haven't used the decision to reverse his murder of Kya to paint him in a good light. In fact, I hope I've made him seem worse.**

**Also, I've decided to change the setting and size of Yon Rha's house. We see in the show that it's nothing more than a simple house but I doubt that the leader of the Southern Raiders, an elite division of the Fire Navy, wouldn't be living in higher standards.**

**Also, on a completely unrelated note to A:TLA, how **_**good **_**was that SU Future finale? I absolutely love that show so much too, and I'm so annoyed that that's probably going to be the end of the franchise! But I see so many avenues for doing a fic after the ending (no spoilers for those who haven't watched) I'm going to start brainstorming ideas.**


	8. Tough Choices

Chapter 8: Tough Choices

**This is probably going to be a shorter chapter than normal, as this is what would have normally been at the end of Chapter 7, but because I hadn't uploaded in a while and because I wanted to get out content before exams hit I just uploaded the first part explaining Kya's story.**

; ; ;

Hurt. Confusion. Happiness. Longing. Determination.

There wasn't quite a word to describe what Sokka was feeling, sitting by his lonesome on the steps leading up to their temporary cabin. The sky was blanketed with gloomy storm clouds and the first droplets had begun to fall. Normally Sokka would have put on a coat or found some shelter as he had never quite enjoyed the rain, unlike his sister. But he had bigger issues right now, much bigger than the risk of catching a cold in the weather. Issues that threatened to break the inseparable bond he and his sister shared.

; ; ;

_-Thirty minutes before-_

"_You're kidding." Sokka could hardly breathe._

_Kirima shook her head, the traces of a smile curling around the corners of her mouth. "No, Sokka. As far as I know she's still locked up in that prison." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I tried so hard to get Kya to come with me, but she just couldn't. We had broken out and our freedom was just a few metres away until Kya chose to stay. She couldn't leave the rest of the waterbenders alone."_

_Another moment of stunned silence passed between them. Sokka sat, his jaw unhinged completely and his eyes open wide, staring into empty space. Bato wore a surprisingly serious expression, stroking his chin, obviously deep in thought. Katara was the first to react, a wondrously wide smile plastered across her face._

"_Mom is alive! Sokka, she's alive!" Katara exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I can't believe it! We've gotta go find her!"_

_Kirima reached out and gently touched Katara's arm. "Easy there. She's not going to want to leave the waterbenders."_

"_Then we'll break them out too! We've got to go and find –"_

"_No." Bato's stern voice resonated around the room. His gaze was cast to the floor and his hands were balled into fists on his knees. "I'm sorry, Katara, but the mission has to come first. We can't afford to take such a major detour out of our journey to your father, especially now that we have Kirima and that we know about the eclipse. It's just too risky."_

_Katara gasped. "How could you say that? She's been enslaved by the Fire Nation for years! How can we stand by while someone we know is stuck in prison?"_

"_And what about all the people you don't know that have been imprisoned over the course of the war? Should we go and rescue the thousands, possibly _millions_, of people the Fire Nation has arrested, because it's _unfair?_ The fact that it's your mother makes no difference. We can worry about freeing prisoners of war once the war is ended, but we just don't have that luxury right now."_

_Katara could only stand there, slack-jawed, fuming. "Of course you don't understand. _You've _never lost _anyone!_" This is my mother we're talking about, and we need to get her right now! Sokka, you're with me on this, right?"_

_She turned to face Sokka, who still sat on the bed. His head had sunken into his hands and he was shaking. Too many thoughts were flying through his head at a million miles an hour, and he had so many questions. How? Why? Did Dad know?_

"…_Sokka?" Katara asked again, her voice sounding wholly devoid of her previous confidence, replaced by fragility and hurt._

_He stood up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I need some time to think," he muttered under his breath, barging past Katara and Kirima to the front door and slamming it behind him_

; ; ;

Mom was alive. Of course she was. How could he have ever have doubted that she would be dead? She was the strongest woman he had ever known par Katara. He felt stupid for ever thinking she could really be dead.

He had resigned himself to the fact that Kya was really gone once his father had left for war. Only then did it become crystal clear to him that she was gone and he finally needed to step up as the role model his parents had wished he would be. Of course, he had failed at that and had offhandedly forced Katara to take on the role of their mother. He had felt such guilt at that, forcing his baby sister to have to grow up. But now that Kya was alive, he could give Katara her childhood back. He could restore their shattered family! Just the thought of it made him giddy inside, he, Katara, Kya and Hakoda all sitting back in their igloo, laughing…

Hakoda. How much did he know? How would he react to the news?

The best part about all of this was the fact that she was jailed somewhere in the Earth Kingdom! It would take a few weeks, two months tops to find where she was and bust her out! It would be so easy, and they'd finally be reunited. Everything he had ever missed about his life would finally come back together, and they could end the war as a family.

But therein lay the problem. If they went to find Kya, there was no way they could make it to Salamander Bay to inform the watertribesmen about the eclipse Kirima had learnt about, and then make it to the Fire Nation in time. Not to mention the detour to Ba Sing Se they would need to make to inform the Earth King of the eclipse to acquire potential reinforcements.

"Mind if I join you?" Kirima asked, interrupting Sokka from his thoughts. He turned up to see the woman standing to the side, her hands clasped in front of her and her light-blue eyes gazing empathetically down on Sokka. He nodded to the free space on the stairs to his right, Kirima taking the cue to sit down.

A deep silence passed between the two, disturbed by only the slight pattering of the rain.

"Look, I know I don't have the greatest perspective on all of this. I've only just joined your group, and I haven't even had the chance to properly thank you all for saving me. But whatever you think is the right thing to do, I'll support it."

Sokka was quiet, though his eyes had closed. Kirima could see tears struggling their way through the corners of his eyelids. She placed a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder and sighed, before continuing. "I've known your mother for almost all of my life. When we were in prison, she would talk on and on about how great you and your sister were. She loves you so much and I know she would hate having to put you in this situation. She misses you both so much. It was so hard for her to choose to stay with the waterbenders over the opportunity to see you both again, but she did It for the right reasons." Another silence occurred. "She would be so proud to see the young man you've become."

He opened his eyes and looked forward, out onto the street where a mother was hurriedly chasing her kids inside a house to escape the weather. "I've spent so long wondering if Mom was alive, and what I would do if she was. If she'd be living peacefully in some far off town, stuck in the Fire Nation, I don't know. When I was younger I would always imagine myself, all brave, facing whatever is keeping her away from us and beating it, so our family could be back together again. Hell, I even tried to go to war with Dad when I was ten to fight!

"I gave up because I thought they were just dreams. But now that I know she's alive, and that we actually have a _chance, _I want to see her again more than anything." Sokka gulped. "But I don't know if saving her is the bravest thing to do right now." He turned to Kirima, tears swelling in his eyes. "I know that we should go to Dad as soon as possible to help with the fighting, especially now that we have a proper chance. But is it right for me to risk her freedom in the vain hope that we can win?"

"If we don't win this war, it won't matter If your mum is out of jail or not. No one will be free." Kirima sighed. "I think you know what you have to do."

Sokka's face hardened. His mind was made. "Rescuing Mom is important, but not as important as ending the war." He stood up, shoulders squared. "She'll have to wait."

Kirima smiled. "Spoken just like your father. I know this is a tough choice Sokka but if you want my opinion, I think it's the right one. I know your mother. She can take care of herself."

; ; ;

Katara and Bato were still in the midst of their little grudge match by the time Sokka re-entered. Bato's face was exasperated while Katara's had gone scarlet from anger. This wasn't gonna go well.

"Good, Sokka you're back. Tell Bato that we need to save Mom." Katara folded her arms and sneered at Bato, as if to say she'd already won. Spirits, this was not easy.

"Katara," Sokka said hesitantly, "I'm with Bato on this one."

Her face instantly paled. She turned from Bato to her brother, her arms slowly falling limp by her sides. "…What?"

"Look, think about it. If we go to save Mom now, we won't make it to Ba Sing Se and Chameleon Bay in time. Now that we know there's an eclipse, we have to use this opportunity to win the war and end the Fire Nation. And besides, once we win the war we can free her easily! Whaddaya say?"

Katara didn't respond. Or rather, she did. Her mouth was agape and tears began to slowly gather in the corners of her eyes. Her arms were shaking ever so slightly and her left hand had drifted unconsciously up to her neck, forgetting that she had lost the necklace.

"Katara, you've got to listen to me. Right now, we have to focus on winning this war. Then we can worry about Mom. You know it's the smarter thing to do."

She sniffed. "I guess so." But her agreement felt weak and forced, and made Sokka feel even worse. Before her could get another word in however, Katara had ran out the door into the rain. He sighed.

Behind him, Bato placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Sokka," he said. "I know how much you and your sister miss her. But we promised your father that we would return as soon as possible."

"I know."

"Then I'm glad we could reach an agreement."

The tension in the room was so thick it was almost suffocating. Kirima kept on looking back and forth between the two, fiddling with her hands in front of her.

Finally, Bato spoke. "Well, if we have nothing else to discuss, I'd say it's time we made some headway. Sokka, start packing. Kirima, can you go out and check on Katara?"

Sokka and Kirima both nodded, and both set out on their tasks. Normally, Sokka wouldn't appreciate Bato telling him what to do but frankly, he was in no mood for an argument or a witty comeback. He just wanted to leave.

The next hour or so was a blur. Katara returned, silent as ever, ad packed her small bag of supplies up. No one talked, even as they went back to the street vendor to collect their ostrich horses and as he tried to heap praise on them for taking care of the Fire Nation soldiers. Katara especially was recluse when he talked about that, as she was still feeling the regret of the man burning in the forest.

Seeing as Katara was yet to be fully healed and Bato's foot still wasn't at full power, they got to ride two of the horses while Sokka and Kirima walked with the third, placing their bags on the saddle so as to alleviate the stress off their backs.

The walk might have been quiet, but Sokka's head sure as hell wasn't. He still couldn't decide what he should be feeling and what he actually _was_, a weird mix of happiness, regret, longing, determination, and just about everything else.

His mother was alive. Surely this was something to be ecstatic about. And he could only imagine Hakoda's joy to know that his wife was still alive. Yet all those happy thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind when he saw Katara clopping along, her face wearing a heartbroken expression. Even though she never said it aloud, Sokka knew how she was feeling: her brother had betrayed

He knew he'd have to make it up to her, some way or another.

; ; ;

**Notes: Just something I wanted to say about Kirima, I know it might not make sense her being in the story. After all, the show seems to depict Hama as being the second last Southern waterbender when she explains her backstory, but I kind of find that hard to believe. In 'The Southern Raiders' Yon Rha says that he had a source telling him that there was one more waterbender in the tribe, but I don't see why they would have put in a spy in the first place if Katara wasn't even born by the time Hama was taken (when she explained how she was taken, she seemed fairly young). Moreover, the tribe seemed pretty familiar with the threat of these raids which wouldn't have been the case, leading me to believe that more waterbenders had been taken recently. Unless of course the Southern Raiders just went there to loot, but for the sake of things I'm going to ignore that.**

**Also, sorry about the lateness of the upload! Just been struggling to find some motivation to write lately, hopefully shouldn't be too bad in future but I wouldn't count on it.**


	9. The Second Storm

Chapter 9: The Second Storm

**This chapter is a biggun! I probably could've cut it down into 2 chapters but I wrote the end before I wrote the start, so it wouldn't have really mattered regardless.**

**This chapter follows that of 'The Avatar State,' 'The Cave of Two Lovers' and 'Return to Omashu.' I know some of you might be annoyed how little I'm including Zuko and Iroh thus far and I'm sorry to say that probably won't change much until a bit, but for the sake of story continuity their journey stays the same. (Azula tries to capture them, live as fugitives, etc etc) This chapter is important to understanding some of the context behind the changing story, and manages to go over some important points in Aang's journey as well as Ren's.**

**Rated M for slight swearing.**

; ; ;

_Previously, on Avatar:_

_Sokka, Katara, Bato have left the small Earth Kingdom town with their new ally, Kirima! But tensions are running deep within the group, after Sokka chose not to rescue his mother!_

_Zuko and Iroh are being hunted by his sister Azula, after their mutiny against Zhao at the North Pole. On the run, the pair are forced to assume new identities and lives, but the prince is still unsatisfied. Will he ever regain his honour? Will he be able to find the Avatar?_

_Meanwhile, Aang has left the North Pole with his elusive new waterbending teacher, Ren! Who is this mysterious man? What secrets is he hiding? Can they trust each other?_

; ; ;

Aang was an Air Nomad. He was naturally funny, free-spirited, cheerful and generally got along well with most people who weren't trying to kill him or his friends. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. And it was just his luck that Ren, the person he was stuck with for the remainder of his training, was one of those people.

It was surprising, to say the least. Ren had seemed so much more relaxed at the North Pole and had actually smiled once or twice while Aang was up there with him (of course, it could just be equally likely that Aang had imagined it. The man was as serious as Monk Tashi sometimes) but while they were flying south-east towards a military base, Ren had been acting distant.

Aang supposed at first it was just a sake of homesickness, something he never really understood being a nomad. "Don't worry about it, Ren!" Aang had exclaimed to Ren the other day over a lunch of smoked fish and tofu. "The monks always told me that home is where the heart is, not where you live." Aang was hoping that would elicit some revelation on Ren's part, but all he got in response was a disinterested grunt. Aang ruled out homesickness.

But then, what? Why had Re barely spoken a word to he, Appa and Momo ever since leaving the Northern Water tribe? Was it… was it Aang? Apparently not, because when Aang had asked him what he was doing wrong, Ren just raised an eyebrow and told him his waterbending stance was too wide. Right, like that's what Aang meant when he asked.

Fortunately, Aang and Ren were soon to find a reprieve from the tension, however brief. The duo were nearing the secluded fortress of General Fong, one of the last remaining strongholds of the Earth Kingdom army. They were anxious to arrive, as Appa had been growing very tired and was bordering on falling asleep from exhaustion.

Upon their landing in the main courtyard, the group was met with a military procession marching towards them, being led by a tall man with a large, bushy beard. His headquarters was fortified by tall walls that encircled the compound, with smaller houses and barracks scattered within the area for his troops.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" The mann stepped forward and splayed his arms wide as if to show off his fortress. "I am General Fong, and welcome, to you great heroes! Appa, Momo, the wondrous Ren…"

Ren, who was in the middle of stretching his legs after landing, grunted again. Aang looked at Ren and sighed, before plastering a fake smile on his face and turning back to Fong. "On behalf of my master and I, I thank you for your hospitality." He pressed his fist into his palm and bent into a deep bow.

Without further ado, Fong ushered his guests inside the palace. "We have much to discuss, Avatar."

; ; ;

It became clear after a day that, in fact, there really wasn't much to discuss.

General Fong had lured them into the compound under the pretense of giving them an escort to Omashu, where they could find Bumi and begin Aang's earthbending training. However, Fong was much more interested in using Aang as a weapon and, after guilt tripping Aang into agreeing, spent his time trying to lure Aang into the Avatar State. He tried scaring him, attacking him, anything to lure out the defence mechanism, but the last straw was when Fong threatened Momo.

He had held the lemur's throat in his vice grip and was prepared to choke him if it was necessary. Aang couldn't control himself and his tattoos glowed extraordinarily, much to Fong's initial delight. But after Aang had destroyed the compound, buried Fong up to his head in the earth and left immediately with Ren on Appa, he doubted Fong would be smiling much now.

What ticked him off more than anything was Ren, however. The whole time, Ren was little help. True, he had initially argued against the plan to activate the Avatar State but Aang knew it wasn't on the proviso of protecting Aang. All he wanted was to fulfil his mission and be on his way. As soon as Aang had been hooked into helping Fong and his troops in attempting to activate the Avatar State, Ren stopped arguing instantly, which secretly hurt.

Aang thought of Katara and Sokka then. He knew that contrary to Ren, they would've done anything in their power to keep him safe. They had actually _cared _for Aang, much unlike Ren. He thought about the betrothal necklace, which he had grown to accustomed to touching as a good luck charm. Spirits, how he wished Katara and Sokka were there instead of Ren.

Aang scrunched his face and grunted. It was against his nature to dislike someone like this. He was taught to respect and understand all life, a valuable and lasting lesson instilled in him by his former airbending masters. There were sure to be circumstances surrounding Ren's irrational behaviour, and he would just have to wait patiently for Ren to open himself up. Aang couldn't force him to talk, despite how desperate he was for someone to chat with. And no, Momo didn't count.

Besides, if nothing else, Ren was a great waterbending instructor. Despite his silent methods, and his tendency to only provide criticism rather than appraisal, Aang was fast progressing. He had already mastered all the basic forms and Ren had last taught him the 'octopus' technique, a handy tool in defence when surrounded. Gosh, if earthbending and firebending were going to be as easy as this, the war would go by in a jiffy!

So their routine went on as they travelled from Fong's military stronghold to the fortified city of Omashu, where they would seek out Bumi for an earthbending teacher. Aang would train, Ren would stay silent, and the tension between the two only grew.

; ; ;

To put things into perspective, Ren had only left the Northern Water Tribe once his whole life, and even then it was nothing more than a week-long trip with some traders to an Earth Kingdom village. All he was doing was collecting some rare spices to help brew a cure for a new sickness sweeping the tribe. And that journey alone had been daunting enough. His trip with the Avatar and his animal friends was on a whole new level.

He could tell that the Avatar was desperate for a friend. He was only twelve, and already bore the fate of the world on his narrow shoulders. But they were just too different. And Ren had no reason to trust another person, especially not so soon after losing Yue and disappointing Arnook. Of course, the chief had said otherwise, but Ren believed otherwise. There was no way a man could truly forgive another for failing to protect his daughter. It just didn't seem plausible.

And he was afraid of what would happen while he was away. The military presence of the Fire Nation would only grow stronger in the North Sea, especially after rumours of the Avatar's departure would slowly begin to spread. They would not be safe forever and the Fire Navy would return with an invasion force, but at least if Ren was there to help defend it, maybe it could be stopped. It was a fool's wish, his subconscious nagged, but he was adamant. If they Northern Water tribe fell, and Ren wasn't there to help defend, it would be his fault. He would have failed everyone.

Those thoughts kept him preoccupied on their journey to Omashu. Between that, and training the Avatar to waterbend, he didn't have time to worry about the fracturing bond between the two.

; ; ;

Their trip to Omashu was far from simple. They met with a bunch of obnoxiously-loud nomads while on a break, who had tried and failed to convince Ren of a secret 'cave of two lovers' hidden in the side of the mountain. Ren was adamant not to waste their time pursuing a path that may not even be real, so he, Aang, Appa and Momo flew around the mountain to approach Omashu. They were met with a maelstrom of flaming projectiles from a stationed Fire Nation army and their trebuchets, but Ren was able to fend off the fireballs with ease with water he kept in a large waterskin on his back while Aang directed Appa and blew away the occasional projectile.

They landed atop a ledge on a tall mountain with a direct line of sight to the city, where a Fire Nation flag was draped over the top of the outer walls. Aang was rightfully mortified; the city was the second to last remaining Earth Kingdom stronghold besides the city-state of Ba Sing Se. The invasion of Omashu was a major leverage for the Fire Nation in the war, providing them with immense influence in the western region of the continent.

Ren knelt down on the rocky ground and hummed. "The smart thing to do would be to leave. We shouldn't risk you getting caught by the Fire Nation."

"No. We need to rescue Bumi. He's the only friend I have left from my past."

Ren sighed. "I thought you'd say that." He pointed with a stick towards a pipe jutting out of the side of the city. "There's a sewerage pipe over there. That's our way in. We can waterbend the water around us so that they can't hear our footsteps, and then we'll have to look for a metal prison."

"Why metal?"

"The Fire Nation might be evil, but they're not stupid. Earthbenders can't bend through metal, so that's where we'd find King Bumi."

The plan was sorted. They flew down to the pipe carefully, with Aang bending the air around them so that they looked like a cloud. Once in the pipe, Appa and Momo were told to stay put just past the entrance of the pipe. Despite Aang's protests, it would be just too hard to travel through the city quietly with them. And so they hid behind an easily removable metal grate, ready to attack anyone who came down to threaten them.

They were walking through the pipe for ten long, stinky minutes before they came across a circular metal manhole in the surface, above a wall with rungs carved in. Ren climbed up first and slid the plate off as quietly as he could, peeking his head out for any Fire Nation troops.

It was safe. He had emerged into a quiet backstreet, and could hear the hustle and bustle of the main shopping district not too far away. He climbed out and was quickly followed by Aang, who jumped out of the tunnel with a gust of air.

Ren took one last glance around before turning to Aang. "Can you fly up and take a look around? Try and find where this prison might be, then meet me back here."

Aang cocked his head. "I thought we shouldn't fly or risk getting seen?"

"That's only because Appa's huge and obvious. If you fly up high enough you could pass off as a bird."

Aang smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right. I get you." He whirled his staff around and snapped it open, revealing a brilliant red glider. Aang took two running steps and jumped, soaring off into the sky, clinging onto the arms of the glider to float around on the air currents.

He rose. Ten metres, twenty metres, fifty metres, a hundred metres. From this height, Ren was nothing more than an ant. He scanned the city, looking for any glint of metal in the sunlight.

So far, the only metal large enough to be a prison he could see was the huge statue of a Fire Nation man at the highest point in the city. Aang had never seen him before, but he assumed this must be Fire Lord Ozai. He flew close to the metal man's face and stuck out his tongue, blowing a raspberry in its direction.

He looked away and he saw it; a metal cage, held aloft above the ground by a metal chain. It wasn't particularly large, especially from his height, but it certainly looked Bumi-size, and it was good a guess as Aang had as to his whereabouts. It was surrounded by a few Fire Nation soldiers, patrolling the ledge it was stationed above. That _had _to be it.

Aang nosedived back down towards Ren, flitting in between streets of terraced houses and Omashu's delivery chutes, scaring a cabbage salesman to death as he flew through his cart, knocking over all the produce.

He cushioned his landing with a large gust of air, and dropped at Ren's feet. He gave his staff another whirl and the red wings locked back into the main body.

"I think I found it," Aang said, gasping slightly for air after his strenuous flight. "Up in the city, there's a metal box that's being held above the ground."

Ren ground his fist into his palm. "If Bumi is half the earthbender you say he is, then that'll be where they're keeping him."

It hadn't occurred to Aang until just now, but Ren seemed so much more alive during combat scenarios and missions. On their travels where they weren't doing anything in particular, Ren was cold and passive but now, when in the midst of a plan to free Bumi, he seemed more sociable and alert. Just generally more _there._ Aang wondered why, but ultimately shoved the thought out of his mind. "So what's the plan now?"

Ren stroked his chin. "I say we just sneak our way up through the city. Don't get seen, don't cause any commotion, don't get recognised. We get to Bumi, take out the guards and free him. After that, well… let's cross that bridge when we come to it. We'll go at night. Meet back here at sundown."

; ; ;

The city had changed since Aang was here last, about two months ago. The population had dwindled, and people were calling it New Ozai now rather than Omashu. An Earth Kingdom man had recognised Aang at one point, but graciously gave him a cloak to wear to disguise his tattoos. He could freely wander the streets.

There wasn't anything in particular he was looking out for, but he eventually stumbled upon a large bulletin board near the new Fire Nation army barracks, dotted with wanted posters. He scanned the board, looking for any familiar faces. He wasn't sure what to feel when he saw himself, posted near the top with the header of _TOP PRIORITY._

Further down, Aang spotted posters of Katara, Sokka, and Bato, accompanied by a picture of a woman Aang had never seen before.. She was named Kirima, and claimed to be a waterbender from the South. Apparently they got into an altercation, and burnt down a forest, resulting in the 'untimely death of a valiant and noble soldier.' Aang frowned. It wasn't like Sokka and Katara to go out looking for trouble like that. He hoped that they were alright.

Strangely, though, Aang saw posters of Prince Zuko and General Iroh, each also labelled with _TOP PRIORITY._ Aang knew they were outcasts from the Fire Nation, but this was new to him. Apparently they were wanted for claims of high treason and for mutiny in the invasion of the North.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone came and tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He whipped around, holding onto the hood of the cloak to prevent it from flying off, and saw Ren standing with another man. Aang sent Ren a puzzled look, to which he mouthed _I'll tell you later._ "Aa- I mean, _Lee,_ I want you to meet Yung. He used to serve as Bumi's head of security."

Aang smiled, pressing his fists together and bowing slightly. "It's an honour to meet you, Yung."

"The honour is mine, Ava- _Lee._ How about we talk further at my headquarters? I have some people who would love to meet you."

; ; ;

"So, I hear from Ren here you're wanting to free Bumi?"

The three of them were seated around a table in a dingy chamber located in the underbelly of the city. Hundreds of people were huddled inside, clinging to each other for warmth. Aang felt bad, faced with another reminder of his own failures. Unfortunately for him, he could give himself the luxury of worrying about them right now as much as it tore him. They had a job to do, Ren had told him, and if they didn't do it more people would suffer.

So he nodded. "Yes, sir. Is there any way you can help?"

"I know where he's being kept. I can take you to him. But in exchange, we need your help with a mission."

"What is it?"

Yung looked hesitant. "We'll tell you when we get there."

; ; ;

They snuck through the city with Yung and a few other earthbenders, moving their way up to a high ledge in the city. They were well concealed under the veil of night, but had to be wary of the occasional patrol passing through. As they moved through, Ren noted that a few of the earthbenders split off from the group. "They're just our backup, in case something goes wrong," Yung had assured him.

Down the edge of their destination were two long, steep ramps, leading directly down to a path below. By this point, only one other resistance member besides Yung remained with the group and he had pulled a large boulder out of the ground, stationing it on the ramp. Yung stood broodily, overlooking the walkway below, scanning the ground for signs of life.

"So, Yung, what are we actually doing?" Ren asked, as he approached Yung from behind. "You still haven't told us why we're here."

"Freeing this city for good," Yung responded, his voice grave. Ren was about to ask what he meant, until Yung's attention was shifted to a procession of red-clad people walking down below. They were illuminated by a few lamps held by what seemed to be guards. Ren's eyes widened.

"The targets are approaching!" said the other earthbender, taking a horse stance behind the boulder. Aang's eyes widened as well, finally realising what was going on.

Yung's voice was cold. "Take them out."

At the same time the earthbender brought his fist down on the boulder, sending it careening down the slope, Aang and Ren both shouted, "NO!" They leapt into action, Ren pulling his water from his waterskin and whipping it around Yung and his croney, Aang jumping off the edge of the cliff and struggling to keep up with the boulder.

Aang felt the wind rushing past his face which, under different circumstances, would have been exhilarating. But he was far too concerned with the horse-sized rock hurtling down the ramp, and the oblivious people walking underneath. He yelled for them to get out of the way as loudly as he could, catching the attention of a tall girl with black hair. She met his gaze and instantly understood what he was trying to do, and yelled to the others.

In a quick scramble, all of them had jumped to the sides of the impact zone, but that wouldn't be enough of a buffer from the chunks of rock that could still hit them after impact. Aang kicked his legs, using his airbending to push himself _finally _in front of the boulder.

The boulder was fifteen metres away from impact, and Aang was just reaching the ground.

The boulder was ten metres away and Aang had landed with a roll, causing pain to shoot up his left leg. He ignored it.

Five metres away, and he was hurriedly standing up, gripping his staff in his hands.

The boulder was two and a half metres away from the ground when Aang swung with all his might. His staff hit the boulder, instantly crumbling it into a dust cloud that floated over him. He lowered his staff, standing still for a moment, before reflexively reaching down to his ankle and sinking to the ground.

He hissed, feeling the bones in his ankle. It was sprained, alright. He could barely move it. Looking around briefly, he saw that the group of people had mostly dispersed, save the tall girl with the dark hair. On closer inspection, her face was pale and she bore an unreadable expression, somehow somewhere between shock and complete and utter boredom.

Aang gasped out his words. "You need to run. More earthbenders. Trying to kill you." He winced with each word, as if the mere act of speaking seemed to amplify his pain.

The girl nodded. "Thanks," she said, with a monotone expression. But before she turned to leave, she asked him something. "Are you the Avatar?"

Aang felt his heart drop. He had tried so hard to keep his identity hidden in Omashu. But as much as he felt he should lie, he just couldn't right now. So he nodded, refusing to meet the girl's eyes.

With the slightest sympathetic glance, she pursed her lips before turning to run off, presumably to find her family. Aang, on the other hand, just groaned. Oh boy, things just got harder.

; ; ;

It took Ren a few minutes, but before long he was down the cliff face, tending to Aang's ankle. He had managed to fight off the earthbenders with relative ease, but had struggled to find a way down without going back directly from whence they came, in fear of running across Yung's backup. Speaking of Yung, he and his buddy had been carefully placed in a side alley, hidden from the main road.

Ren had knelt down next to Aang, and pulled his water into his hands. The water glowed, and he pressed it against Aang's ankle, moving his hands around to let his chi flow. A soft gasp emitted from Aang.

"You can heal?" he asked, big grey eyes wide open in amazement.

Ren nodded. "I'm one of the only boys in the tribe who ever learnt how. Yugoda taught me when I was younger."

"Why don't the other boys know how?"

Ren paused, hesitant to go into detail. He was still too reserved. "A story for another time," he decided, finishing up with his water and pulling it back into his waterskin. Aang stood up gingerly, testing his weight on his ankle. It wasn't yet fully healed, but it was almost back to normal. "Take it easy for an hour or so," Ren noted to the airbender.

"So what now?" Aang asked as he was stretching out. "We've got the Fire Nation to watch out for, and now probably the rebels too. How are we gonna get to Bumi now?"

"We've got a few hours till dawn. I reckon we try and get to Bumi now, rather than wait in this city for much longer."

; ; ;

Mai wasn't sure what had just happened. All she knew was that for some reason the Avatar had saved her, and she and her family were being guarded inside their house.

She had been taught from a young age that the Avatar was the scourge of all evil, and that they were no longer the embodiment of peace and prosperity that they once were. Yet that twelve-year-old airbender had just risked his life to save the very people who wanted to capture and imprison him. Either that little boy had something to gain from saving her, or the Fire Nation had been lying.

She didn't want to believe that the Fire Nation was wrong. Of course, no one would ever knew she felt this conflicted. Her face was her mask; she strived to appear as uninterested and detached as possible from reality. She wouldn't let the Avatar's presence faze her.

So she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had saved her, so in exchange she'd keep her mouth shut. If anyone asked, the young boy that had saved them was an earthbender. In exchange, she had rewarded him with money to support his poverty-stricken family. Her mother would mutter, "Just another selfish Earth Kingdom peasant," and the incident would be dropped.

In other news, her 'friends' Azula and Ty Lee were coming to visit. Knowing Azula, she had managed to rope Ty Lee into some awful plan, and she was looking for Mai next. It would probably entail violence, perhaps some hiking, and maybe an opportunity to see Zuko again (of course, this was _definitely _not important to her). And as much as she wasn't keen on getting roped into another of Azula's schemes, she really hated New Ozai. There was nothing to do apart from frown and wave at all of their new subjects. No one was willing to stand and be a target for her knives.

So she decided. She would keep silent about the Avatar to repay his actions, and she would shove her thoughts as to why he'd save her in the back of her mind. She'd accompany Azula and Ty Lee on whatever absurd mission they had in mind. And she certainly wouldn't think about Zuko.

; ; ;

After a few hours of sneaking, they were just below Bumi's prison. Through the dim rays of dawn Aang could make out Bumi's sleeping face, causing him to smile. His face didn't look bruised or cut, meaning he hadn't been beaten. Sure, Bumi was strong, but he was still old and vulnerable to abuse.

Along the way, Aang had found Flopsie, Bumi's trusty goat gorilla. He was being kept in a cage during the night, and Aang had refused to leave him locked up in a Fire Nation zoo. He had broken the lock and after a bit of hesitance on Flopsie's part, rode swiftly through the streets of Omashu. Aang was surprised how quiet Flopsie was, for such a large beast.

There was only one guard stationed out, and he looked half asleep. But Aang figured that another guard would be rotated in soon.

Turning to Ren, he whispered, "I'm going to fly up and free Bumi. Can you keep watch?"

Ren nodded. "I'll give a signal if something goes wrong."

Aang unfurled his glider and kicked off, gliding silently through the night towards the cage dangling from a crane. He landed on the top of the cage, careful not to fall off, but his impact had stirred Bumi from his sleep. "Who's there?" he asked, glancing around from his head hole.

"Psst, Bumi! Up here!"

Bumi's eyes widened with alarm. "Aang, is that you? Where did you come from?"

"Don't worry about that. We're gonna get you out of here." Aang turned to the chain Bumi was suspended on, and worked on blowing on the chains. As he worked, he froze the small molecules of water in his breath onto the chain, starting to freeze it.

"Aang, stop your blowing for a minute. I need to talk to you." Bumi said from below. Aang stopped his bending for the moment, and bent over the side of the cage so he could make eye contact with Bumi. "Listen to me, Aang. There are options in fighting called jing. It's –"

"Bumi, I know what jing is! I know all about positive and negative jing, where you attack or retreat. What does that have to do –"

"There's a third. Neutral jing. Where you do nothing!"

"There's a _third one now?_"

Aang's whisper conversation was growing slightly louder due to his frustration. "Well technically, there's eighty five, but let's just focus on the third. Neutral jing is the

Bumi nodded sadly. "I knew that when the Fire Nation came, we wouldn't win. We were unprepared, and were caught on the surprise. If we had fought back, many people would have died." Bumi snorted. "I'm not as dumb as I look, Aang."

"I never thought you were," Aang replied sincerely, slightly downcast. "I get it. You can't jjust leave your city. These are your people. You have to be there for them."

"Very wise, young Avatar."

Aang nodded. "Will you be safe here, though?"

Bumi gave his distinct snorting laugh, and smiled. "Of course I'll be safe, Aang! There's not much that can exactly hurt me in here. Besides, I can still earthbend from here," he said with a wink.

"How?"

"Well they didn't cover my face, did they? Dumber than they look, those firebenders are." As if to prove his point, he clenched his jaw and a clump of jennamite flew up out of the ground into his mouth, which he started munching happily on.

Aang laughed, happy that his friend had still not changed one bit. His face saddened, though, and he sighed. "I guess I'll need to find a new earthbending teacher now."

Bumi nodded. He tried to speak, but his words were mostly muffled by the crystal. "Your teacher… mmmf… mastered neutral jing… waits and listens… _crunch_ before striking." He took a big gulp, swallowing the last of the jennamite. "You'd better go, Aang. The guards will switch once the sun has fully risen. I'll see you again when the time is right. Oh, and give Flopsie to Yung. He's the only other person who could ever get along with my dear boy."

Aang nodded, stood up and popped open the glider. "I'll see you, Bumi." With that, he jumped off of Bumi's cage causing a little rattle and flew down to Ren's hiding spot. He landed silently behind Ren, who turned his head curiously after noticing an apparent lack of Bumi. "Where is he?"

He sighed again. "Bumi's staying. He can't leave Omashu yet. We need to find someone else to teach me. Someone who… waits and listens? I couldn't hear exactly what he said."

Ren sighed. "All this, for nothing. Let's go find Appa and Momo and get out of here."

; ; ;

The two animals had hated having to hide for almost a whole day, but they were still overjoyed to see Aang and his new companion. They squeaked and roared, nuzzling up to Aang, causing him to laugh. "I missed you guys!" he exclaimed, latching himself onto Appa's furry forehead. Of course, his jovial mood was dampened almost instantaneously by Ren.

"Let's move." Ren was quick to climb up onto Appa's saddle, seemingly back to his old nature of recluse, brooding and quiet. Aang sighed. _Here we go again,_ he thought.

The sunlight was not yet at full force, giving them a chance to fly out of Omashu's sewage pipe and the surrounding mountains without getting easily spotted by the Fire Nation soldiers. Aang munched on a handful of nuts as they flew, tossing one back to Momo occasionally. And off they flew, with no real direction for now.

Ren was stumped, and panicking. On Pakku's map, Bumi was the only White Lotus member he had listed who could teach Aang. What the hell was he supposed to do now?! He had to train Aang and find his other masters, he promised Pakku that much. He couldn't fail. _No. _He decided to take another look-over of the map, and saw a large township a bit inland from Omashu. "Gaoling," he muttered, crossing his fingers. "That's where we'll find a master." He looked up. "Aang! Head east!"

"Why?" Aang called from up front.

"We're going to Gaoling. We can find a master there."

"Alright, then. Appa, yip yip!"

; ; ;

The day after the news of the Avatar's departure, Azula and Ty Lee showed up. Azula's nostrils had flared when Mai told her she had heard they missed the Avatar. Of course, she was still more than capable of tracking him even after he had left, but it was still a thorn in her side that these incompetent soldiers couldn't get him. Nonetheless, they had a third target now.

So, with Mai now part of the group, they set off in an armoured car, ready to hunt. Zuko and the Avatar wouldn't be hard to find simultaneously; the three had figured that Zuko would be drawn to the Avatar like a moth to a flame, the last home for Zuko to ever return to the Fire Nation with a shred of dignity.

; ; ;

That evening, the two sat around a small campfire, sipping away at their pre-prepared soup from small bowls. They had holed up for the night in a large, damp cave in a cliff face, with plenty of space for Appa to escape the torrential downpour outside. Unconsciously, Aang noticed the cave seemed a lot like that one he and Katara had been in a while ago, where he told her about his past. He waved the thought off.

The tension in the cave was thick. Not uneasy, as it might've been before, but awkward and slightly uncomfortable. The two were teetering on the brink of friendship, yet Ren was still holding back something. He was still recluse when they weren't on a mission, still held something close to his heart. And Aang understood. Really, he did. It had taken an enormous swell of courage to confess his past mistakes to Katara, about how he ran away from the Air Nomads. Maybe doing the same here would help? It was worth a shot, he thought. It could hardly get worse from here.

Aang eased his bowl down from his mouth and wiped his face with his sleeve. Rubbing his palms together, he stood up. "Hey, Ren, can I, um, tell you something?" Aang stuttered, eliciting a warily curious response from Ren and a raised eyebrow. He mentally kicked himself. Ren gave a small nod and set down his bowl, leaning back onto his hands.

"Right. Well." Aang coughed, unsure exactly where to start. "So, um, about 112 years ago I was born as the Avatar, but I guess you already knew that and–"

"Aang, relax." Ren's words were surprisingly gentle and soothing, and he wore a faint smile. That alone was enough to calm Aang down, simply the sight that maybe he was getting through to Ren.

He took a deep breath. "Alright. I hear so many people telling me that I should be so happy to be the Avatar and that I'm blessed. And I guess as time goes on, I'm beginning to understand what the Avatar actually means to other people. But for such a long time, I wished I wasn't the Avatar."

This caught Ren's attention. His expression turned from curious to outright surprised, and he could hardly keep his voice steady as he asked, "What do you mean? Almost every kid I knew wanted to be the Avatar. Why were you upset?"

"Well I think _before _I knew I was actually the Avatar that I might've wanted to be, but after I was told I actually _was_ the Avatar? My whole life changed. I lost my friends because they thought I was different to them now, I couldn't be a kid anymore, and I had to spend so much time training. The only person who still treated me the same was my master, Monk Gyatso." Aang sighed. There was still more to the story, and Ren was hooked.

"Of course, that wouldn't last long. The other monks were angry with Gyatso for still treating me like a kid, and they wanted to send me away to one of the other temples to train. I overheard the conversation, and I ran away before they could take me. And after I ran away…"

"The Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads," Ren finished, realisation sparking in his eyes. "What happened to you then?"

"Appa and I got caught in a storm as we were flying over the South Sea. We got stuck in the water and my Avatar State activated, trapping us in a block of ice. Then, 100 years later, Katara and her brother Sokka set me free." Aang paused, scrunching his eyes shut. "I can't make guesses anymore as to what would've happened if I hadn't run away. I'm here now, and I've been blessed with a second chance to stop the Fire Nation. I've got to make the most of it and move on, but sometimes it's just so hard not to regret what I did."

Ren was quiet. Aang's story had resonated within him, bringing up pent-up emotions and locked memories from his past. The Avatar had just exposed his most vulnerable side on a silver platter to Ren, but why? He would be a fool to trust Aang. The only person he could reliably trust was Arnook, and even that took years…

Still, Ren felt like he had to share. If he couldn't trust the Avatar, if Aang was as devious as he was childish, then it wouldn't matter if Ren told his story or not. The world would fall anyway. He had to trust in the boy.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a hundred years ago, I've –"

"Not for that. Although, I am sorry for that too." Ren gulped. "I wanted to apologise for being so isolated recently. It's not easy for me to trust people." Sparing a glance over at Aang, he added, "No offence."

"None taken. And you don't need to apologise, Ren. Everyone has their own –"

"I'm not finished." That shut Aang up quickly. "You deserve to know the truth."

"The truth? About what?"

"About everything."

; ; ;

_-12 years ago-_

_The flickering lights of the street lamps cast eerie reflections off the icy terrain as Ren walked home. He had finished training with Pakku earlier than he would have liked, but nonetheless he was happy. He learnt a new technique – freezing water around someone's body to trap them – and he couldn't wait to show his dad when he got home. Maybe this time he'd be interested._

_It was a fairly easy life that Ren lived. He spent his time at school, training with Pakku every second day, and occasionally sitting in with his father in the chief's discussion hall, where his father and a bunch of other equally eloquently spoken people shouted at each other like barbarians. It was a simple life, but Ren knew he could be off a lot worse._

_Ren and his father lived alone. His mother had died during childbirth, and he was told he looked a lot like her. He had the same eyes, the same nose, the same smile, but otherwise he was a direct replica of his father. Usama was a tall and well-built man, with a head covered with short brown hair. His hairstyle was unique but impractical in the North; he always wore a beanie to keep off the cold. He was about 30 but was still in great shape, and he took great pride in the fact that he was an influential man in the tribe despite not having the affinity for waterbending. Most importantly, though, he loved Ren to death._

_His father was very important to the tribe. When Ren was six years old, his father had been moved up to the position of personal adviser to Chief Arnook, after the unfortunate and mysterious disappearance of Advisor Lonna. One day, he went out on a hunting expedition in the North Sea, looking for seal turtles, and came back 2 weeks later, his carcass rotting on the deck of his boat. No one knew how he had died; his body had been decomposing for too long to find out exactly what had killed him, but the very next day my father had regretfully filled the vacancy left by Lonna. He said that he took the burden with a very heart, and that he would strive to match Lonna's greatness._

_Ren noticed, though, that many people had been wary of Usama's ascension to power. He remembered his father's anger when it came around time for Ren's birthday. Once, at his sixth birthday, when Ren had a small gathering of friends over for a little party, his father had been sulking in the corner for most of it. Ren had heard him muttering not-so-discretely under his breath things like "she should've been here to see it" and "no one even tried to save her." When Ren had confronted him about it afterwards, Usama merely ruffled his hair and told him not to worry his six year old mind about it. He then proceeded to walk into his study and punch the wall and scream for the rest of the night. Odd man._

_Four years later, however, and everyone seemed to have forgotten about Lonna's death, some claiming Ren's father Usama had been doing an even greater job. He had encouraged Arnook to secure many profitable Earth Kingdom exchange routes, and even brought about better diplomacy with the Fire Nation. They had held negotiations with Azulon's representatives regarding a peace treaty and a decreased military presence in the North Sea, in exchange for the military support of the North in the war against the Earth Kingdom. Many had been against the decision but after Usama's convincing words, most people seemed to agree that this was the best course of action._

_Life seemed to be looking up for Ren. There wasn't a single thing that could dampen his mood right now._

_He arrived home, the sun setting behind the icy walls of the tribe long ago. A light was flickering from the office area, indicating to Ren that his father was hard at work. He smiled, and reminded himself that it was always best not to disturb Father during his work._

_He silently entered their large igloo, and cautiously set down his small tote bag on the sealskin rug so as not to distract his father. Their house was cosy; tucked away to the side of the palace in close proximity to the Chief should he need any immediate assistance, but not so small that it felt cramped. It was free, given as a gift to Usama for his promotion to personal advisor. It consisted mainly of o main, central living space with two corridors branching off either side; one led to Ren's room, the other to his father's quarters and his study._

_Ren sat cross-legged down in front of a fire crackling in the stone fireplace in the corner, placing a piece of parchment supported by a slab of wood on his lap and fishing a stick of charcoal out of his bag to do his homework. He wasn't allowed to use his father's ink; that was expensive, and used exclusively for sending letters and writing bills._

_Ren could hear talking coming from his father's room. It was faint over the sound of the fire, and was muffled by the woollen carpet, but it was there. Initially, Ren took no notice of it at first. It wasn't abnormal for Usama to be practicing his speeches to himself in the vague reflection of the igloo's icy walls, or for him to have meetings with other members of the council._

_But when a man yelled, whose voice was certainly _not_ his father's voice let alone anyone else's from the tribe, Ren's attention was shifted quickly from homework._

_He had listened in to his father's conversations before, and had been punished as a result. Ren was wary of this, but his ten year old self was troublesome, and his curiosity had been perked. He unfolded his legs from beneath him and rolled onto his stomach, crawling his way silently towards the door of his father's room._

_He was only a few feet from the door when he could hear the voices better. They weren't perfectly clear, but he could make out their sentences without too much noise. It sounded like there was only one other person in there with his father judging by the conversation._

"_Well, if you're done yelling at me, Zhao, how about we get to the business at hand? It won't until my son comes back from waterbending training." Ren recognised that voice as his father's._

"_Relax, I'll be gone before he comes home. Let us finish our business, and I'll be off." This voice was new. Ren had never heard it from anyone, inside or outside the tribe. Maybe he was a new Earth Kingdom trader?_

"_Arnook is planning a fishing trip tomorrow at noon. From what I've gathered, he will personally be on that expedition, accompanied by no fewer than four other men, likely waterbenders."_

"_No matter. Waterbenders or not, he won't be able to compete with our new Fire Nation warships. They'll blast your puny fishing boat out of the water."_

_Ren stifled a gasp with his hand. Fire Nation? But he thought they had a peace treaty! Why attack Arnook?_

"_Make sure to recover their bodies, and make it look like they drowned or were eaten by manta sharks. If not, they'll know that they were murdered by you lot."_

"_Don't you think I know that, you fool? Don't speak to me as if I'm some incompetent idiot. Just make sure you play your part, and I'll play mine. As soon as the bodies come back, Yue will be forced into the role of chief. You'll maintain your position as personal advisor and, because Yue is only four and not of marrying age yet, you will virtually have complete control over the tribe. Don't forget all this, because once Arnook leaves tomorrow your security will probably be on the lookout constantly and I won't be able to return."_

_"Of course, Zhao."_

"_Right. Once Yue is chief, you will allow myself and the Fire Navy to enter this backwards tribe, and we will take power. All the waterbenders will be killed –"_

"_Except for my son?"_

_Ren heard a sigh. "Yes, we've already been over that part. You and your son will be spared from any violence, and will lead the new Fire Nation colony here as a reward for your years of service to the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Azulon commends you for your service, you have bestowed honour onto your family, yada yada yada, you're rich. Don't screw this up, or both our necks will be on the line."_

"_O-of course, Admiral Zhao."_

"_Glad you understand. Now, while we've still got twenty minutes until your little twerp comes home, let me see the rest of the intelligence you've collected."_

_Ren had stopped listening by this point. His face drawn in an expression of horror, he slowly tried to stand up, using the icy wall as support. He walked backwards down the hallway, one hand clutching his stomach to prevent himself from vomiting. Oh, spirits. This was not happening._

_Ren was too in shock to look behind him while he was walking. The corner of the carpet was turned up and Ren tripped over with a loud thud. Instantly, the murmuring of the voices behind the door stopped, and he froze on the ground. He heard a shuffle, before his father called out. "Ren? Are you home?" His voice sounded strained, but he was clearly trying to keep it under control. Ren tried to answer, but all that could come out was a small squeak._

_Ren watched as the door to the study tentatively opened. His father's head poked out, a tight smile on his face as he tried to maintain a sense of calm. But as soon as he saw Ren's expression, horrified and scared and disgusted all at once, he knew he had heard. And when Ren saw the realisation finally wash over his father's face, he got up and ran._

_He bolted out of the house, taking him as far and as fast as his ten year old legs would let him. He could vaguely hear the sound of his father yelling after him, but he didn't dare look back to see if he was following. Ren would be punished beyond all hell if he was caught, he knew that with absolute certainty._

_He ducked and dipped across streets and in between houses, the calls of his father growing ever distant. He reached one of the outer canals of the village and waterbent his way across, turning the flowing water beneath him to ice with a flick of the wrist as he ran across, melting it once he had crossed. Finally, he was safe from his father's pursuit, and he could stop, sit, breathe and comprehend everything._

_His father was a spy. A _traitor._ He wanted to kill Arnook and all the waterbenders, just for money? But why? He was Arnook's best friend, and he loved the tribe more than anything. Or at least, that's what Ren had thought. What if it was all just a big lie, to cover up his father's ugly dealings? How long had he been doing this for? Why? Why, why, why?_

_Ren was torn. On the one hand, he loved his father to bits. They had been there for one another amidst everything, sharing the loss of his mother, bearing the publicity of being the primary advisor and his son. He was always helping with his homework, or taking him on fishing trips. He was the only family he had left._

_But was he really? Yugoda, the healer, had been acting like a grandmother to him his whole life. She healed his cuts after sparring became too intense, she cooked him food when his father was away, she even taught him how to use waterbending to heal (secretly though, Pakku would be very angry if he found out his star pupil was doing waterbending specifically for girls). She loved him, and he her._

_Then there was Arnook, the man that acted more like a father to Ren sometimes than Usama. He was kind and gentle when his own father was sometimes rash and violent; he had given Ren a safe room to sleep in many a night. He told Ren stories about the great stories of the tribe, and taught him about the Avatar and how he would one day return. He loved Ren like the son he never had, and probably saw him as chief of the tribe for the future._

_Then there was Yue, his childhood best friend, who he loved like a sister. She played with him, laughed with him, he even let her play dress up on him sometimes. He taught her to read, to count, to walk, and he hoped that one day she would become a waterbender so he could teach her._

_There were more. His friends, Pakku, the soldiers, his teachers, the old men, the little babies. There were so many people in this city that he loved, and then he knew. Regardless of how much he loved Usama, or how hurt he would be, he couldn't leave this city to the merciless hands of the Fire Nation. Little did he know it, but that was the moment his childhood ended._

_He stood up and brushed off the small piles of snow that had gathered on his shoulders. It was dark out now save for the dimly lit street lamps and the reflection of Tui off of the ice. He began to walk back towards the main palace, formulating exactly what he wanted to say and do._

_Those thoughts of his went out the window when he reached the stairs leading to the entrance of Arnook's palace. There, at the foot of the stairs, sat Usama, staring at him intently. He was about fifteen metres away, way too far for him to be able to hurt Ren, but he had never looked scarier._

"_Hello, Ren," his father said coolly, managing to hide his nervousness well. Ren gulped._

"_Father, move out of the way please. I must speak with Chief Arnook of an urgent matter." Ren rarely ever spoke so formally, but he would feel guilty if he spoke normally with his father. He had been taught in soldier training to dehumanise the enemy._

_Usama stood up. "Don't use that tone with me, boy. You will speak to your father normally."_

_Ren could sense a standoff between the two. His father's hackles were beginning to raise, so Ren sure as hell wasn't going to lower this. He had run away from confrontations for too long. "Unfortunately I cannot, Advisor Usama."_

_Ren had struck a blow, and his father gritted his teeth. "Ren, you seriously don't know what you're dealing with here. Go home now and we can forget anything ever happened."_

"_But I'm not going to forget, father. How can you expect me to just sit by and do nothing, while you conspire to overthrow Arnook? Does his friendship not mean anything to you?"_

"_Of course it does. Leaving Arnook to die is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but it's for the good of the tribe. You can't expect your young mind to comprehend the underlying politics at play here –"_

"_For the good of the tribe? Have you gone mad? You want to kill all the waterbenders and let the Fire Nation take over! How is that good for the tribe?"_

"_They wronged us, Ren? Don't you understand? They left your mother to die and said that she was beyond healing. But I knew, I _knew _she could be saved, and you want to know what everyone did? Nothing!"_

"_Don't you _DARE _talk about mother like that. You've gone insane!"_

"_No, Ren. You're the one who's insane if you would defy me like this. After everything I've done!"_

_Ren was sobbing by this point. "I thought I knew who you were, I really did. I thought you were a good man, I loved that version of you so much. But that man is dead, and you killed him. You're not my father anymore."_

"_I'm sorry, Ren." Usama began to walk closer, tears forming in his eyes. "You'll come to appreciate what I've done for you someday." He reached a hand behind his back and unsheathed a club. Ren's eyes widened, realising what Usama wanted to do._

_Before he could get the chance, Ren screamed and moved both his arms up quickly with open palms. The ice under Usama's feet quickly materialised into water and drenched his body in a miniature tidal wave, temporarily immobilising him. Ren then scrunched his hands into fists and froze the ice surrounding Usama's body, trapping him within a thick block of ice. The club fell out of his hand._

"_It's a trick I learned today," Ren explained harshly. "Do you like it?" He sniffled, and wiped his nose with his sleeve._

_As soon as Usama realised he had been beaten, his eyes softened drastically. Ren knew this strategy. He had seen it many times before in the discussion room in the palace._

"_Ren, please. Let me out. We can talk about this over dinner, okay buddy?"_

_Ren wouldn't budge. "I just don't get it, father. Why? You say that this is for the good of the tribe, yet you want to wipe out nearly a third of our people. What does this serve?"_

_Usama paused, choosing his words carefully. "The tribe let your mother die, Ren. People will say that they couldn't have saved her, but you have to trust me when I say that she could've lived if a healer had gone to her."_

"_How can I trust you, father? How could I ever trust you again? Look what has become of you!"_

"_Ren, let me out, and I'll show you everything."_

_Ren scrunched his eyes. If he stayed here any longer, he'd be guilt-tripped into letting him go. He had to leave now. He pressed forward, ignoring the desperate pleas from his father._

_Only when his father yelled "Traitor!" did Ren halt, halfway up the stairway. "What did you just call me?" Ren said icily, turning to face Usama._

"_You traitorous boy! How dare you betray me! I am your father! You pathetic excuse for a son! Let me out and fight me like a man!" Usama was manic, his face beet red and spit flecks flying out of his mouth as he yelled. "You failed, Ren. You failed as my son. I deserved better than you whiny, pathetic, sack of shit!"_

You failed, Ren. You failed, Ren. _Those words floated through his subconscious, haunting his happy memories of his father. He shook his head and glared down menacingly at his father, sick of seeing his face. He wanted him gone, but the part of him that still clung onto the idea of Usama as his dad refrained him from leaving Usama to the hands of the tribe._

"_Out of respect for the man you once were, I'll give you a minute to run to the harbor and sail away before I alert Arnook and the guards. If you dare touch my home, I will personally see to it that your traitorous behind is brought back here. Goodbye, Usama." He flicked his wrist and the icy prison containing Ren collapsed, sending him spluttering to the floor. _

"_I'll be back, boy. And when I do, you won't be given amnesty again." Usama spared one last, hateful glance at Ren before turning on his heel and running to the harbour._

_Ren didn't hold true on his promise, though.. He gave Usama well over a minute. He sat on the stairs, unmoving, watching as his figure ran down the main road and faded further and further into the distance until he reached the wall. A few minutes later, he saw a boat slowly leaving the port and sailing off into the distance, illuminated faintly by the moonlight. Only once Ren was confident that his father was far enough away to escape Arnook's wrath did he allow himself the luxury of crying._

_It wasn't small, little sobs like he would normally. It was gut-wrenching cries and moans, his eyes watering like crazy. So many pent up emotions from the night burst out in a flurry, leaving Ren feeling sick and hollow inside. He cried and cried and when he felt he could cry no more, he cried a bit extra._

_Only once his tear ducts had been virtually drained, did he notice the figure sitting three stairs behind him, gazing at him. Arnook must have been woken up at some point by Ren's display of emotion and had quietly come out here to talk. Or he could have been loud, Ren wouldn't know. Honestly, he could probably have woken up a mountain with cries that loud._

"_Problems with Usama again, Ren?" he asked gently, laying a hand on Ren's shoulder. Boy, was that an understatement._

_Ren abruptly stood up and turned to face Arnook, simultaneously wiping his face and nose with his sleeve. And he told him everything. About how his father blamed the tribe for his mother's death, about his dealings with the Fire Nation, about his plan to assassinate Arnook. And while at first Arnook had laughed off his claims, he grew deathly silent once he realised Ren had been going on for too long for it to be just a joke._

_Ren brought him to his father's study, where years upon years of Fire Nation letters were kept along with catalogues of items and lists of people, including one naming every waterbender in the tribe. Transcriptions of unauthorised meetings, maps, diagrams of military equipment, construction plans of the main wall. Anything a power hungry man could ever need to overthrow Arnook._

_The Fire Nation man named Zhao had left already, it seemed. But he had not taken the liberty of burning the evidence, a foolish move for a man claiming to be a high ranking officer. It was revealed through the notes that the Fire Nation had planned for an invasion of the North. In the treaty between the two, when Arnook had planned to send troops to the Earth Kingdom in support of the Fire Nation, Zhao would invade when there was a decreased military presence in the homeland, making it vulnerable. Arnook swore to abolish this agreement and remove his troops from the war. He thanked Ren for his bravery and that he had saved the tribe, and Ren felt undeserving. All he had done was betray his father. That wasn't an action that warranted all the laurels he could be given. He would need to work to deserve his praise._

_And so then he bent down on one knee in front of Arnook, and pledged his life to him. He would make up for the years of betrayal by Usama's hand, by putting himself at the mercy of the very man Usama tried to kill. He would restore his family's name. After all, there was nothing left for Ren to lose at this point. He felt utterly empty._

_Ren was congratulated. Usuma was forsaken. Ren's brave actions were noted by everyone, and received appraise. Arnook allowed him to move in, and become his adopted son. He even got a peck on the cheek from some of the girls at school._

_He didn't care for any of it._

_The only people he ever trusted again were Pakku, Yue, Yugoda and Arnook, and even they were now kept at an arm's distance. He refused to ever be let down by someone again, to fail again. His loss was replaced by determination to defend the tribe and to be the man his father was meant to be. He never wanted to leave the tribe for fear of Usama returning, _

_But those words always came back to haunt him. _You failed, Ren._ The mantra would make itself into his nightmares, and would fuel his desire for redemption. He failed to save his father. He wouldn't fail ever again._

; ; ;

"No one from my tribe heard from him ever again. There were rumours that he'd been stationed as a political envoy in the Earth Kingdom, or that he'd been thrown in jail. No one really knows, though."

Aang was silent for a while, still taking it all in. Ren appreciated it, satisfied that Aang wasn't taking his story lightly. "I found out from Pakku, though, what he's really been doing. The Fire Nation disguised him as a trader and sent him to the South Pole, to the other water tribe, to hunt down and inform on any waterbenders down there." Ren glanced down, tears in his eyes. "It sickens me to think how he could help the Fire Nation get rid of all the Southern waterbenders. How he could just turn on our sister tribe like that."

He looked up, and saw Aang's large, grey eyes gazing at him solemnly. There was no childish glee in there right now, all that he could see was empathy. "I'm sorry about your father."

"He's not my father anymore. Arnook is."

"If it's any consolation, he failed. Your first dad, that is."

Ren gasped ever so slightly. "How do you know?"

Aang brought his hand up to the necklace, rubbing its surface with his thumb. "I met a girl from the South Pole named Katara. She's a waterbender, but she doesn't have a master to train her. She was travelling with me for a while before she went with her brother and a friend to look for her father." A knowing silence fell between the two after he finished.

Ren beckoned with his hand towards the necklace. "She give you that?"

"Yeah, she did. She said it was something to remember her by."

Ren smirked. "You do realise that giving someone a necklace like that in our culture usually means marriage, right?"

"Yes I know, but… well, y'know… it's not… she's just a friend!" Aang spluttered, his cheeks turning a rosy shade of red.

Ren gave out a deep and hearty laugh, his shoulders rocking with his joy. He hadn't laughed in years. He forgot how good it felt.

Once his joy had subdued, he faced Aang again. "Thank you for understanding, Avatar Aang. I know I haven't been the best guide for you lately. It will not come easy to me, but I must learn to trust you. It's hard for me, especially with this fear that I'll fail those that are close to me or that I won't be good enough. But I haven't let down Arnook or Pakku yet, and I don't want to let down you."

Aang contemplated this for a moment. "If it's any consolation, Ren, I'm not a spy. The Avatar can't belong to one nation like that. It would be going against my very purpose. You can trust me. And please, just call me Aang."

Ren smiled. "Good. Now, if all's said and done, I suggest you get some sleep. We've got a long way to go from here. I'll take first watch."

Aang nodded and yawned, stretching his arms above his head and cosying his way into the nook of Appa's neck. He buried his face into the soft fur and began to snore.

Ren watched the boy sleep for a while. In a way, he was reminded of himself. This young airbender felt he had let down his whole race, and was reminded constantly by this war torn world that he had failed. On a much greater scale than Ren ever had, mind you. But he saw how he moved past it, how he didn't let the past define his actions or decisions, how he lived selflessly and forfeited his childhood for the sake of the world.

Maybe they weren't so different.

; ; ;

**Notes: Okay so this isn't exactly pivotal anymore but I have **_**just realised **_**I didn't mention what happened with the Northern Air Temple, as obviously in canon, the trio go there and meet Teo and the Mechanist before the North Pole.**

**Also something interesting I have thought about with both Aang and Katara now both having teachers will probably make them both more powerful. One thing I thought wasn't thought out as well in the show was the fact that despite Katara only learning waterbending under a tutor for a matter of days, she was apparently skilled enough to teach Aang over the rest of the journey (not trying to diminish her abilities, just always seemed weird that within the space of about 2 episodes Katara went from knowing barely anything about waterbending to practically becoming a master). I think that now they both have the opportunity to learn bending from different people, Aang from someone who has been bending for much longer at a high standard, and Katara getting to learn over a longer period of time, will beef out their skills a bit more. **

**Thought it might be cool as well to do the brief recaps like they do in the show as well.**

**One sentence in there also gave me a cool idea. Aang and Korra always give off this idea that the Avatar represents and unites all nations, but at the same time that power could be used for quite evil purposes. What if there **_**was **_**an evil Avatar, one who used their unbalanced powers to rise up to rule a nation? Might be a cool idea for a one-shot maybe, let me know what you think.**


	10. The Village

**Hey all! Hope you've been liking the story so far. Don't forget to leave a review if you've got anything to note about the story. Any feedback is welcome :)**

_; ; ;_

_Previously, on Avatar:_

_Aang and Ren have escaped Omashu without King Bumi, and are now out on a hunt for Aang's new earthbending master. Ren told Aang of his father's betrayal of the North Pole and has finally begun to trust Aang. What awaits them next?_

_Meanwhile, Katara, Sokka and their allies travel further through the Earth Kingdom towards Ba Sing Se, in search of military assistance for the 'Day of Black Sun.' Has the group moved past their earlier squabbles?_

; ; ;

It had been about two weeks since Katara, Sokka, Bato and Kirima left that small Earth Kingdom town. They had been travelling around aimlessly, despite their earlier conclusions to visit Ba Sing Se and the Earth King, in favour of searching for people to join their cause for the invasion.

They had been lucky. Sokka and Katara reunited with Haru and his father and convinced them, along with a few other benders who had been in the same prison. They would take a different path and meet up with them at Chameleon Bay, the current hub for all revolutionary activity.

They knew this from another note sent from Hakoda. Spirits knows how he managed to address the letter to them, but nonetheless the messenger hawk had soared out of the skies to perch on Bato's shoulder, a scroll of parchment upon its back.

Hakoda talked about wanting to expand their forces, and preparations for an attack on the Fire Nation were well underway. They had found a squadron of lost Northern Water Tribe soldiers who agreed to join their cause, virtually doubling their ranks. Nearby towns sent them food and materials, and Hakoda was hard at work fashioning new boats to carry their troops.

He also mentioned a letter received from the Avatar almost two months ago and how it was addressed for his two children. He was overjoyed to hear that the Avatar was joining their forces and that he had arrived at the North Pole.

They sent a note back in return. Bato explained how he had met with the Avatar before his journey to the North Pole, and how he had been travelling with Katara and Sokka. They were safe, he promised, and were accompanying Bato and the newfound Kirima to Chameleon Bay. Most importantly, though, Bato told him of the eclipse and the comet. He wrote about the solar eclipse in about six months that would render the firebenders vulnerable and the comet not long after that, which would amplify their power hundredfold. (Bato had been told that by Sokka and Katara while being told of a visit to Roku's temple.)

Bato purposefully neglected to mention Kya's survival and imprisonment. This would surely only serve as a distraction for an already-stressed man, and Katara and Sokka begrudgingly agreed that this would only hinder their plans for the invasion if Hakoda sent out search parties.

So they continued in a general direction to the South, careful to avoid Omashu, on the hunt for any further reinforcements.

; ; ;

They were nearing a south-western peninsula of the Earth Kingdom when they saw the town. It was fairly large, and had a great view overlooking the sea from atop great cliffs.

Bato spotted it on a brief reconnaissance mission while they had made camp. He trekked his way back through the forest towards their spot, anxious to share the news.

He came to the small clearing, barely big enough for the foursome's tents, a fire, and their three ostrich horses. Sokka was trying (and failing) to prop up his tent properly, while Katara and Kirima did a little bit of waterbending training off to the side with a stream. Night had fallen, and a pot of food was bubbling over the open flame.

"There's a town just to the south," Bato said, slightly out of breath after his hike back. "Maybe about ten kilometres, looks pretty big. We should be able to find some support from there easily."

Sokka, having finally managed to string up his tent, smiled. "Good. Hopefully that means an actual bed to sleep on, too."

Katara and Kirima dropped their water and walked in to the campfire. "Any signs of the Fire Nation?" Kirima said, wringing out her gloves. Kirima had been looking a lot healthier lately. After years of malnourishment within the Fire Nation prisons, she was finally starting to get some more muscle onto her bones. Her cheeks were less hollow, her skin less pale, and her hair was cut short to her shoulders after years of untamed growth. Bato didn't say it, but she looked really good.

"Not that I could see," he said, scratching the back of his neck. He chuckled nervously as Kirima sent him a small smile and tried not to blush as her arm brushes his as she walked past.

"Let's get some sleep," Sokka yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Dibs on not taking first watch!"

"Me neither!" yelled Katara, who was shuffling into her sleeping bag. Bato laughed at the childishness and turned to Kirima, who was also grinning. He shrugged as if to say, _kids, am I right?_ and sat down on a log around the fire.

"I'll take first watch, Kirima," he said. "You get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."

; ; ;

Kirima was woken up a bit earlier than that.

She couldn't have known what time it was. It was the middle of the night, she knew that much, much too late for anyone to be travelling without risking falling over a loose tree branch. And it obviously was, as the sound of someone tripping and hitting the ground with a _thud _and a yelp of pain was enough for her eyes to snap open.

Through the weak light of the moon shining through the leaves above, she could see Bato was wide awake as well. His eyes were darting around quickly until they settled onto Kirima's, conveying his nervousness. He slowly lifted his hand and pointed to the right of Kirima's sleeping bag, where she could see a small group of men travelling with some large, scaly animals. They carried small lamps in their hands and wore black – no, _red_ – uniforms. Fire Nation.

Thankfully, their camp hadn't been seen. The group of men were walking just past the camp along the road and none of them seemed to be throwing any attention towards Bato and Kirima. The animals seemed not to have noticed them either, somehow.

Kirima stole a glance at Bato, who nodded gravely. A flash of understanding passed between them, and they both knew to stay perfectly still. Rather than fighting, which would surely end in their defeat, they instead chose to listen. The words of the soldiers were hard to make out through the sounds of the night but were distinguishable.

"Come on! It's the middle of the night! Why don't we just go now?"

"There's no point. We're better off resting here and attacking during the day. This town has no defences anyway. We might as well rest up before heading in. There's an inn about five kilometres west, we should stay there."

"But our orders said to take Chin Village as soon as possible!"

"So what? No one knows that we're here already. May as well just wait around another day and look for the Avatar or somethin'. Rumour has it he's in this area after his little stunt at Omashu."

Hold up. This was news to Kirima. The _Avatar?_ She thought the Avatar had disappeared ages ago? What would he be doing _here?_

It dawned on her that this must be that kid, Aang, that the other three kept on talking about. They mentioned a few times about him leaving to go off and find a waterbending master, but they somehow failed to mention how important it actually was. But surely not, right? The Avatar disappeared almost 100 years ago, apparently. Surely he'd be like, an old man by now. Wouldn't he have learnt all the elements by now?

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to the soldiers. They were leaving, trudging off to where this inn supposedly was. Bato noticed too, and out of the corner of her eye she could see him inaudibly sigh in relief. His eyes look worn, and Kirima suspected he had been taking watch the whole night.

She sent him a smile and mouthed, _I'll take watch now._ She wasn't sure if he could discern her words with the weak lighting, but he seemed to understand and eased his way into his sleeping bag. Before long, he was dozing off, leaving Kirima awake with her thoughts. She was wide awake by this point, anyway.

; ; ;

Kirima woke the other three a little earlier than they had planned. The sun had barely begun to rise before she shook Bato, rising him out of slumber. He groaned, rubbed his eyes, and looked around the campsite bleakly.

"Why so early?" he grumbled.

"I want to make sure we leave before those soldiers come back. We can't risk getting caught. We should leave."

He sighed. "We can't leave that town unguarded, though."

Kirima agreed begrudgingly. "But we shouldn't go today. We're not ready. They said that they wanted to take over the town today, right? Why don't we catch them once they think the town has been secured? That way we'll have the element of surprise. I'll go wake the kids."

Before she could leave, though, Bato grabbed her arm. "No. We go today. We can't leave the town at their mercy." Kirima sighed, knowing he was right, and nodded.

Kirima walked over to Sokka and Katara's sleeping bags, and nudged them awake (Sokka was a little harder, she noticed. He tended to sleep like a pile of bricks). After a few minutes of packing and cleaning, they set off with their ostrich horses and began to hike through the forest towards the town.

It was still barely morning, and Sokka wouldn't stop grumbling the whole journey. Katara had flicked his face with water a couple of times in annoyance, resulting in a few very petty arguments, but Bato and Kirima just laughed. Two teenagers. Of course they'd be grumpy about waking up early.

It was about an hour or so into the walk that Kirima asked. "Um, who exactly is this Aang kid you guys keep talking about?"

Katara's face lit up. "Oh man, Aang! You'd have loved him Kirima really. Mom too, I suppose…" her voice trailed off, unsure of what she was really saying. Sokka coughed, nudging Katara with his elbow, and raised an eyebrow at her when she gave him a death stare. "Anyways," she continued, sticking out a foot to trip Sokka over, "we had to leave him a while ago so he could go find someone to train him to become a waterbender."

"So he's from the tribe?"

"Oh no silly, he's the Avatar. We've told you that, haven't we?" She paused, a little confused as to why Kirima's eyebrows were raised. "You… you did know that, right?"

Kirima laughed. "Somehow, amidst all the stories of you guys riding giant fish, stealing from pirates or stopping volcanic eruptions, you forgot to mention that."

Katara looked sheepish. "Sorry. We probably should've told you that."

She waved her hand. "Really, no biggie. It's just really good that the Avatar is finally back. Wouldn't he be like an old mann by now, though? I thought Aang was just a kid?"

"He and his flying bison were trapped in an iceberg for a hundred years, and Sokka and I found him on a fishing trip."

"Why was he in an iceberg?"

Katara's face suddenly turned crestfallen, and faced away. "That's, uh, a bit of a touchy subject."

Kirima decided not to press the matter, so she turned to Sokka. "What about you? What was he like?"

Sokka grinned broadly. "It's weird. We didn't know him for very long but he was like a brother to me. We had the same sense of humour and everything. It's still weird, though. Evenn though he was only about twelve years old he sometimes seemed so much older than he was."

"Well maybe that's because of the one hundred years he spent in ice," Bato joked.

"Maybe. But it wasn't really like that. I guess seeming older isn't really the right word, maybe more mature? He's had to go through so much at such a young age. He's the last of his kind after the Air Nomads got wiped out, but he still acts so happy and cares about everyone so much. It's kind of admirable, actually." Sokka sighed. "I miss him, though. No offence to you guys, but it was always fun to travel with someone who didn't want to do anything except laugh."

Kirima shrugged. "None taken. I understand. Bato and I, well, we're adults so I guess we'd take this whole war thing more seriously."

Bato stopped in his tracks, and pointed up the road. The time had passed quickly, and they soon came to a large, open meadow. Further down, they could see Chin Village, built precariously above a large cliff face. "Not wanting to interrupt your heart-to-heart, but I think we're here."

The other three nodded, all instantly dropping the subject of Aang. "Any sign of those warriors?" Katara asked.

"Not that I can see. We'd better head into the village."

; ; ;

Fortunately or unfortunately, they hadn't attacked yet. The streets were bustling with activity and stalls seemed to be open everywhere, selling all kinds of uncooked dough. It seemed like a weird tradition but each to their own, the foursome supposed.

They stopped and asked a few villagers what was going on. Apparently the day earlier they had some sort of 'Avatar Day,' where they celebrate the day their leader Chin was tragically and ruthlessly killed by Avatar Kyoshi. It seemed a bit dramatic, but they chose to ignore it.

The town stood atop the very spot that Avatar Kyoshi moved the island of Kyoshi away from the mainland, simultaneously killing Chin the Conqueror from a high fall. Katara marvelled at how someone was capable of such an extraordinarily powerful feat. If Aang had even half of that kind of power in him, well… this war would be over sooner than she thought.

They spent the rest of their day grabbing supplies and maps, and speaking with the local garrison. The troops there were fairly pathetic and weak, and none seemed interested at first when Bato warned them of an invasion, but they all perked up when he said they were attacking _tomorrow._ They quickly sprung to attention and jostled each other to get their weapons and armour. _These guys won't stand a chance,_ Bato inwardly groaned.

; ; ;

The foursome had set up a temporary camp on the outskirts of Chin Village. They had tied up their ostrich horses and set down some proper tents, prepared to stay and defend the town from the people the villagers were calling the 'Rough Rhinos'. A band of legendary mercenaries, each specialising in a different skill, each riding atop a fearsome Komodo rhino. The village chief was in for it, alright.

Sokka decided to go for a walk around the forests near the village. He claimed it was to go looking for food and keep an eye on the Rhinos, but in reality it was more to escape the tension back at camp. He could tell that Katara was still a little shaken since their decision to not save Kya, but she hadn't brought it up since, leaving the issue to fester within the group. And as much as he loved his sister (he wouldn't dare tell her that he did, though) it was her problem to come to terms with, not his.

Walking through the forest wasn't much more helpful, though. He twitched with every sound of nature, wary of the chance that the Rough Rhinos were in close proximity. Sure, they were apparently a group of big, burly men riding atop gargantuan Komodo rhinos but if they had managed to slip by so close to their campsite last night without him hearing them, he knew they had to be very stealthy.

Maybe not as stealthy, as they thought, though, because Sokka clearly heard the twig snap. About ten metres away to his left, behind some thick bushes, he had definitely heard someone tread just too heavily. Turning slowly around, he could see a man emerging, who had his long, dark hair pulled back and wore red makeup over his eyes and the bridge of his nose. He had a bow slung across his chest and a quiver of arrows protruded over his shoulder, and he wore a devilish smile.

He tried to pull his boomerang from his back but his reflexes weren't fast enough. The man had surged forward, hitting Sokka in the forehead with the hilt of a hunting knife. Sokka stumbled, reeling, and slumped back against a tree. He groaned and felt his forehead, where he could feel a large welt beginning to groan. The man loomed over him, and gave him a smile. "You shouldn't have come looking for us," he said, an evil glint in his eye. "The others will love to get a piece of you. It's been a while since we've dealt with a Water Tribe warrior."

He reached down and grabbed Sokka, pinning him against the floor with his hands behind his back. Sokka tried to retaliate, but he wasn't strong enough to overcome him. Sure, the archer seemed lithe and agile more than anything, but he was strong. "What… what do you want with me?" he gasped, as the man began to tie his hands together with a rope.

"Proof," the man spat. "The others didn't believe me when I said I saw people last night. But a Yuyan never imagines things. I could see you sleeping. Now the others gotta believe me!"

The Yuyan pulled Sokka up to his feet with the rope and sheathed the hunting knife.

It wasn't to be, thankfully. Almost as soon as Sokka's hands had been bound, he heard a quiet _thwip_ and the Yuyan, standing tall and proud only moments ago, fell face-first into the dirt. Protruding from his neck was a small, feathered dart, no larger than his pinky finger, with tiny red feathers protruding from the tail. Sokka looked around frantically, trying to find where the dart came from, but to no avail. The forest was too thick to see where it had come from, and there were plenty of places for someone to hide.

He had to react soon, though. Clearly the dart wasn't lethal, as he could hear the Yuyan murmuring and grunting slightly. He stood up and awkwardly grabbed the man's knife, using it to cut his hands free. It was sharp, and had a neat little bone hilt. Sokka decided he liked it, and took the scabbard from the man's hilt. He didn't want to hang around any longer though so he began to run back towards Chin Village, not daring to look back at his captor or risk seeing the mysterious person who had saved him.

; ; ;

The group was tense that night. They kept two on watch rather than one, wary that the Rhinos could attack at any point. From their spot they could see a few wandering lanterns around the perimeter of Chin Village, tell-tale signs of the guards now patrolling the borders. They had sprung the village into full defence mode and had evacuated everyone, including the uptight mayor, down to the beaches below. There, temporary tents had been set up and they had been told to wait there until given the all-clear by the garrison. It was a ghost town.

Katara and Sokka were first up. They kept watchful eyes on the forest line, scanning up and down for any sort of movement. It was hard to make out shapes by the light of the crescent moon, but their eyes had adjusted to the dark. They passed the time by chatting about the village and how Katara was going at waterbending. According to Kirima she was progressing faster than anyone she'd ever seen, even faster than _her _master, a woman named Hama. Sokka talked about the knife he picked up and how it fit into his growing assortment of weapons alongside his club and boomerang. It felt like both of them were finally beginning to step up to the plate, they agreed.

There was silence for a while before Sokka broke the question. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but how are you feeling?"

It threw Katara off, because she knew exactly what he meant. She was just surprised he wanted to talk about it. "I'm fine," she said warily. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, we haven't really talked about that argument ever since it happened. It feels like we've been avoiding it."

She sighed. "Look, I'll admit it, it probably was smarter not to go looking for Mom. I mean, if we had done that, we wouldn't exactly be able to protect Chin Village now. But I've still got that _what if _going on in my head. We could probably have freed her by now."

Sokka nodded. Thankfully, he wasn't in a joking mood right now. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I kinda understand why it might've been harder for you than it was for me. I feel like you were always a bit closer to Mom." Sokka raised his arms up in defence as Katara raised an eyebrow. "It's fine, I understand. I was probably closer to Dad anyway, what with the whole wanting-to-become-a-warrior and go-invade-with-Dad-when-I-was-nine thing."

Katara laughed, relieved that he wasn't holding a grudge. "I'm sorry if me wanting to choose Mom hurt you at all."

"Seriously Katara, it's fine. Look, we hadn't seen her in years, you still miss her, you don't have her necklace anymore, it's perfectly understandable. But seeing her once the war is over and she's freed is gonna make this all the more sweeter."

Katara smiled, but not for long. A group of about four small figures flitted across the fields, heading towards the trees. They didn't seem like big warrior men, so she doubted it was the Rhinos, but she stood up nonetheless, pulling the water from her waterskin into a whip. "Sokka, did you see that?" she hissed, not taking her gaze off the figures.

"See what?" he asked, his expression curious as to Katara's sudden defensiveness. He followed her gaze out to the group who were about two hundred metres away, and stiffened. Immediately his hand reached for his boomerang and he stood up, shoulder to shoulder with Katara. "Who are they? They definitely don't _look _like the Rhinos."

"How do you know?"

He shrugged. "I accidentally ran into them yesterday. Wasn't fun."

Katara gritted her teeth, and lowered her whip slightly. "You mean to tell me that after all of our planning as to how we're gonna fight these guys, you just so happened to fail to mention that you _met them?_"

"I didn't think it was important! I only saw one of them anyways, and those things out there are too small to be them anyway!"

"Sokka, you could've been killed!"

"I was fine, relax. Some dart came out of nowhere and knocked him unconscious." His brows furrowed. "Wait… what if they're the ones who shot the dart?"

Katara looked at him deliriously. "Sokka, you've officially gone insane."

He shook his head vehemently. "No, I'm serious. I couldn't see where the dart came from, so whoever must've done it was stealthy. Those guys look stealthy. There's no reason to think it couldn't be one of them!"

Katara opened her mouth to reply, but Sokka jumped in. "I'm going to investigate," he said, beginning to walk forward and grabbing a hooded cloak, draping it over himself as he went. "You stay here and watch the camp! Don't tell the others!"

Katara wanted to yell at him, but she was stuck. If she shouted, their campsite would surely be spotted by those people. If she went after him, she would be leaving Bato and Kirima undefended. If she stayed, she'd be leaving Sokka to fend for himself.

As she sat back down and watched him sneak off silently through the grass, she made a mental note to kick him in the shin as hard as she could when he came back.

; ; ;

As he got closer to the group, Sokka could see they definitely weren't men. They were too small, to agile to be large warriors. He couldn't make out fine details, but they seemed like… girls?

He was about fifty metres away when they entered the forest. Sokka swore under his breath. It would be nigh impossible to track someone through a forest, especially at this time of night. He pushed on, determined not to lose his lead. He figured that their camp mustn't be far from the edge of the trees, as if it were any further it would be too hard to navigate. Unless they had lamps of course, which would make following them much easier.

Crouching down, he continued on towards the trees. Subconsciously he kept scanning for the Rhinos, fearful that they'd take this opportunity to attack the village. What if these people _were _the Rough Rhinos? What if the rest of them besides that archer were all girls? Sokka's head began to spin, and he began to second guess his decision.

It was too late, however. He had reached the trees and had long ago decided he couldn't turn back. He stood up and held onto the tree trunk, peeking his head around to look further into the forest. He couldn't see where those people had gone but they couldn't be far ahead of him. He pulled the cloak further over his head and began to tread gingerly through the woods.

Unfortunately, walking in the dark meant he couldn't see what was beneath him and he heard the tell-tale sound of a tree branch snapping under his foot. He froze, hoping that whoever he was following hadn't heard. He carefully lifted his foot up off the branch and was about to continue further forward before he heard the sound of rushing footsteps.

He turned and tried to run out of the forest, but slipped in a wet patch of dirt. He fell face-first into the mud and groaned, silently praying that whoever was coming wasn't going to kill him. He rolled over onto his bottom to be greeted by the sight of four people standing around him. Their appearances were hard to make out in the dim lighting but their faces seemed almost… white?

Then he heard the voice from behind him. "Who are you and why were you following us?" The voice sounded strangely familiar to him, like a person he hadn't seen in a long time yet remembered easily. Then, as the person walked around to face him, it hit him like a tonne of bricks.

No. Way.

"…Suki?"

; ; ;

Katara was shocked with Sokka walked back to the campsite, and he wasn't alone. She was even more shocked when she realised she _recognised _who the others were, and even more so when she Sokka holding one of their hands.

"Suki? Is that you?" She asked, stepping forward.

"Katara! It's so good to see you!" the Kyoshi Warrior exclaimed, flinging her arms around the other girl's neck. Katara reciprocated, smiling broadly. "Where's Aang?"

"He left us a while ago," Katara said, ending the hug. "He went up north to find a waterbending master while Sokka and I went to go find our dad."

"Is that him over there?" Suki asked, beckoning towards the sleeping Bato. Katara let out a small laugh.

"Oh, on.. That's our friend Bato and his… friend… Kirima. They're travelling with us on our way to Dad." She shrugged sheepishly. "I'd wake them up to introduce you, but they need their sleep. We're getting ready for an invasion tomorrow."

"You mean the Rough Rhinos? We spotted their campsite in the forest earlier," one of the other Kyoshi Warriors said.

"Yeah, them," Sokka said. "They want to invade Chin Village tomorrow and we can't let that happen. The villagers won't stand a chance."

Suki frowned, stroking her chin. "Historically, there's always been tension between Chin Village and Kyoshi Island. But I suppose if innocent people are in danger…" Her expression changed, and she ground her fist into her palm. "Then we'll help you fight."

Sokka and Katara high-fived, happy they had some new reinforcements. Sokka frowned then, though, and turned to Suki. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Helping you guys, of course?"

"No, like I meant _here. _On the _mainland. _Not Kyoshi Island."

Suki noticeably blushed, even under all her battle makeup. "Well, after you guys and Aang saved our village we decided we wanted to come help you guys in the war. We were on the way to Ba Sing Se when we came across a burnt campsite right outside a town." Sokka and Katara shared a look. It was probably the one they rescued Kirima from. "We talked to the villagers and they said that some Water Tribe warriors had come by recently and, well… we figured it was you. So we've been following you and the Rough Rhinos ever since."

Sokka smiled, feeling his heart flutter. He knew it wasn't very manly, but he couldn't care less right now. "I'm assuming it was one of you then that shot that archer yesterday, then."

One of the girls closer to the back raised her hand. "Guilty as charged." Sokka nodded to her in appreciation. "Thank you for saving my butt," he said. He gave Suki's hand a little squeeze, and yawned.

"Well, as much as I love the catch up, we should get some sleep," he said, letting go of Suki and stretching his arms above his head. Katara nodded in agreement.

"It's probably Bato and Kirima's turn for watch anyway-"

Suki interrupted. "Oh no, don't worry about it. My girls and I can keep lookout for the rest of the night" Katara and Sokka looked at each other and just shrugged, before diving into their sleeping bags and falling asleep.

; ; ;

Bato and Kirima woke them both up with bewildered expressions across their faces. They wanted to know exactly _why _there were five white and red faced girls sitting around their campfire, and why they all seemed so friendly. After a bit of catching up Bato and Kirima were relaxed, but they were still hesitant about playing babysitter for seven kids now.

"Are you sure we need them?" Bato whispered to Sokka when they had a moment alone. They were looking out over the campsite, where the girls were helping Kirima pack their stuff and make breakfast.

"We'll figure out if they're coming with us when we reach that bridge. In the meantime, these girls will make mincemeat of those Rhinos. Trust me." Sokka's eyes scanned over the group, eventually falling on Suki who was talking to Katara. She returned his gaze and gave him a small smile and wave.

"And why is that one looking at you so funny?" Bato asked, whispering and looking in Suki's direction.

Sokka flashed a toothy grin and flexed his biceps. "Must just be my manly charm," he said in a suave tone, making Bato laugh. Sokka frowned.

Soon enough, the group was all back. Two of the girls had run off back to their own site some point during the night and had packed up their gear. The ostrich horses were saddled up and walked to a tree outside the village, away from harm's way. The rest of the group made their way into the town, taking up fortified positions alongside the garrison.

It was eerily quiet in the village. All of the villagers had been evacuated the day before, leaving the streets desolate. Occasionally they could hear an animal barking or a window creaking, but other than that it was completely silent. Bato, Sokka, and Suki had all taken rooftop positions while Kirima, Katara, the garrison and the other Kyoshi warriors stood on the ground, ready to fight. Katara had never really fought anyone besides brief patches of sparring with Kirima, so she was nervous and excited at the same time.

Sokka stood, right hand firmly clasping his boomerang, and peered out over the countryside. There was no sign of them yet and the countryside was deserted… wait. There.

Directly north, five large Komodo rhinos came barging out of the forest. They were still far away, but were gaining ground fast. Sokka glanced over to Bato, who nodded and yelled to the others, "Take position! Get ready!" He turned back towards Sokka and gave a thumbs up, before proceeding to climb down the face of the roof's wall and out of sight.

That left Suki and Sokka up above to coordinate the assault. Suki stood adamantly on a balcony, a glint of wariness in her brown eyes. "I hope this plan of yours works, for the town's sake," she muttered. He was unfazed by her lack of confidence. He knew this plan would work perfectly.

"Trust me, I'm three steps ahead of these guys. They won't stand a chance."

; ; ;

The Rhinos were surprised to see the town completely empty. There wasn't a single person so far, not the slightest bit of resistance. They knew this was too easy. Mongke, the firebender, was the first to split off from the group, ordering the others to do the same. He knew there must be a trap somewhere amidst the streets, and told the others to keep a wary eye for any surprises.

He realised too late that it was a mistake to split up. He and his mount strode into an alleyway between two blocks of houses but before he could react, a large stream of water hit him directly in the side. He was thrown off his rhino and against a brick wall, the water freezing around him, pinning him up and leaving him defenceless. His rhino was startled and took off down the street, leaving him all alone with two waterbenders walking towards him.

"Go help the others," Kirima said to Katara, her eyes trained intently on Mongke. "I'll keep this one under control." Katara nodded in understanding, and ran out of the street. The older woman walked towards Mongke and sneered.

"Filthy water peasant!" the man spat, injecting as much venom as he could into his words. It didn't work, and the lady just laughed.

"If I had a gold piece for every time someone called me that, I'd hardly be a _peasant _anymore." She pulled water out of a canteen attached to her waist and sent it flying towards the man's mouth, freezing over the surface of his lips. His nose was left open so that he could breathe. "That should teach you to shut up. Let's hope for their sake that your buddies aren't so badmouthed."

; ; ;

The rest of the Rhinos were caught just as off-guard. Vachir was taken out with another dart and Ogodei was tricked into throwing his bolas at Yeh-Lu by Suki, leaving the demolitionist handicapped. She then swiftly kicked the defenceless man off his rhino and began to fight hand-to-hand. He was pretty weak in close combat, and Suki quickly knocked him out with the hilt of her fans. The last remaining Rhino, Kahchi, was surrounded by the Kyoshi warriors, Bato, and the remaining garrison. His guandao was long, and could keep them at bay for a while, but was soon forced to retreat out of the village once his blade had been snapped in half. Sokka got the last laugh, as when Kahchi was trying to run out of the village he was hit in the head with his boomerang, knocking him off his ride. Sokka's plan to divide and conquer had worked beautifully.

All in all, it was a pretty easy fight. Sure, the Rough Rhinos were strong, but they all were weak individually. Shortly after, the Rhinos were all tranquilised and escorted to the local prison, and the rest of the locals were brought up from the beach to give the Rhinos their punishment. Unfortunately, all of them got the community service option on the mayor's "punishment wheel," much to the group's chagrin. They would still be locked away for years, sure, but there'd be no boiling in oil or shark feeding for them.

Now came the hard part: what happens now? This question lingered on Sokka's mind as they all walked back to the ostrich horses. He still needed to get to the Earth King to report on the solar eclipse, but what about the Kyoshi Warriors? What were they going to do? Now that they had been reunited, he was hesitant about leaving Suki again.

She seemed to pick up his distant mood, and walked up next to him as they crossed over the grassy plains. "You all right, Sokka?" She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah everything's fine, but I'm just stuck thinking… what now?"

She glanced at the rest of her troop, who were laughing and joking alongside Katara, Kirima and Bato. "Well, if it's alright with you, I thought we might as well go with you."

Sokka's ears piped up. "Really? You'd do that?" He gave her a wide grin, and she giggled.

"I mean, for sure. We're heading to the same place anyway, and we'll be safer as a group. Don't worry my girls can pull their weight. We won't slow you down. And besides," she looked down, biting the inside of her cheek. "I kinda missed you, anyway."

Sokka smiled sweetly. "Yeah. Me too."

; ; ;

**I wanted to write about the route that the Kyoshi Warriors would take on their to the refugee boats, as they would have had to arrive in the Earth Kingdom somewhere in the southwest. I thought it would be cool to link the two stories together, and introduce Suki a bit earlier into the story.**

**I've never really written romance before as well, so I might seem a little dumb when writing about Bato/Kirima or Sokka/Suki.**

**Also, I'd just like to clarify some things about Ren's character, because I'm not sure if I made them obvious enough in the last chapter. Ren was raised to be very polite and had little friends, which is why he doesn't talk very colloquially unless under pressure in missions, and one of the reasons why he has trouble socialising with Aang. And not wanting to spoil the rest of the story, but I plan for his father to play another role within this story to set up a nice plot point.**

**And a last heads up, it might be a week or two until I release the next chapter. I've got a very busy schedule until then.**


	11. The Blind Bandit - The Beifongs

**HelloOoOo! Bit of a yikes, I haven't realised it's been a month since my last upload! Everything's been a bit hectic lately and it will probably continue to be like that for another few weeks, so I wouldn't expect regular updates again until at least the end of July.**

**But I promise I won't let this die, I'm way too invested in this to stop. This story will be finished regardless of how good or bad it turns out, or how far it strays from my original plan, and that's an Avatar promise.**

**Also, please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

; ; ;

_Previously, on Avatar:_

_Suki's back! After reuniting with her and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors, Katara, Sokka, Bato and Kirima were able to repel the Rough Rhino invasion of Chin Village and are now all travelling together towards Ba Sing Se._

_Meanwhile, Aang and Ren have escaped Omashu without Bumi, and are looking for a new earthbending master. Will Aang be able to find one, or is he destined to fail?_

; ; ;

"Aang, we're almost here! Wake up!"

Ren had been taking the reins while Aang slept. He was tired after an exhaustive day of training, but Ren was happy. Aang was showing a real aptitude for waterbending and he was sure that, given time, Aang would have learnt everything Ren knew. Still, the kid needed to be awake for this.

"Aang, come on!"

Aang grunted, and sat up from his sleeping position, Rubbing his bleary eyes, he yawned out a loud "Good morning!" After yesterday's training, Aang and Ren had decided to travel to Gaoling during the night. Appa had been resting during the day, and Aang and Ren had taken it in turns to navigate and direct Appa. Ren had been hesitant to travel during the day after their Omashu incident, not wanting to be tracked or followed.

They had decided to travel around a really big swamp after hearing stories of hallucinations from some travelling, singing nomads. Neither Aang or Ren wanted hallucinations of the dead Air Nomads or Usama. They decided to risk the extra day of travel and go around.

Aang pulled three apples out of a sack and took a bite out of one, tossing the others to Ren and Momo. "How far away are we?" he said, his voice garbled from the food in his mouth.

"See for yourself," Ren called back. He turned his attention to the mountain range just ahead, and the city that lay just beyond that. The first few houses began to peek over the mountain saddle, their first sight of the city of Gaoling.

"Wow, this place has changed!" Aang said excitedly, peering over the edge of Appa's saddle to see the settlement below. "Those buildings weren't there a hundred years ago!" Ren rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Let's find some shelter then get looking for your teacher. We don't have the time to hang around here for more than a few days."

; ; ;

"IT'S A LONG, LONG WAAAAY TO BA SING SEEEEE, BUT THE GIRLS IN THE CITYYYY, THEY LOOK SO PRETTTTTTYYYYY!"

Uncle was belting out some cheesy song to a stupid earthbender and Zuko had never been more embarrassed. First, he had failed to capture the Avatar at the North Pole. Second, he'd been outlawed from his country. Third, his insane sister Azula was hunting him down with maniacal desire. And now, he and his uncle were forced to take the role of street jesters to make enough money for dinner tonight.

The man Iroh was singing for was still frustrated, whipping out his dual broadswords and swinging them at his feet, catching Zuko's attention. It was one thing to laugh, but it was another thing to threaten he and his uncle. He was so close to snapping and sending a blazing ball of fire right in that man's chest, but there was a crowd quickly gathering around them. Sickeningly, they all seemed to be just as entertained at Iroh singing, "THEY KISS SO SWEET THAT YOU REALLY GOTTA MEET THE GIRLS FROM BA SING SE!" and hopping while swords slashed at his feet.

The man sheathed his swords and tossed a gold piece into Iroh's cupped hands, laughing. "Ha ha! Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner! Here ya go!" The crowd dispersed, seeing that the spectacle was over, and the man began to walk off. Zuko glared at him, hoping the man could feel his burning stare.

"Such a kind man," Iroh said dramatically, wiping the corner of his eyes with his sleeve. He turned to look at Zuko, and was instantly concerned. "Why the long face, nephew?"

"You let that man make a fool of you!" Zuko snapped, turning his head to face his uncle. "We're no better than some filthy street beggars right now!"

Iroh hummed. "Relax, Zuko. That man did not make me a fool. After all, I am the one going home with a gold piece and a nephew while he goes home alone and without the coin. _He _is the fool." Zuko just grunted in response. Good enough, Iroh supposed.

The crowds kept on dawdling past them for a while longer, no one sparing the estranged firebenders so much as a empathetic smile. Zuko kept his eyes trained on the house the man wielding dual swords had entered. He wanted those swords. His old ones had been blown up when his assassination attempt went sour, and he felt naked with nothing to defend himself with (firebending was a big no – if he was caught, he would surely be executed).

They had been there about an hour when Zuko's focus shifted. A pair of soldiers, clearly earthbenders judging by their wrist guards and green clothes, were wandering slowly down the street, chattering aimlessly between each other. Their conversation was loud over the sound of the street, and Zuko's ears were trained intently on the sound. He nudged his half-asleep Iroh in the ribs and beckoned discretely to the two men. Iroh's eyebrows raised in understanding.

"You hear about what happened in Omashu?"

"Yeah, real shame isn't it? Avatar was there and everything, and the city is _still _under Fire Nation control."

"Why would he go to Omashu, though? Seems a little odd."

The other man shrugged. "I heard through the grapevine that he told the freedom fighters that he was looking for King Bumi to teach him earthbending. Apparently they knew each other back in the day or somethin'."

Iroh sighed defeatedly. "So what Pakku said is true then, I suppose. I will be next," he muttered, shaking his head.

"What was that, uncle?" Zuko asked, sparing Iroh a glance before turning back to the earthbenders. They had passed down the street, out of earshot, much to Zuko's annoyance.

"Nothing you need worry about, nephew. Let's go and find some food."

; ; ;

They dropped Appa and Momo off in the mountains just outside of the city, and began to walk. It was still morning and the sun had only just risen, so Aang and Ren were treated to the delicious smells of breakfast, scents flowing from open kitchen windows and small eateries. The place seemed more cheerful than other Earth Kingdom towns they had seen; the defensive advantage of having the town situated amongst tall mountains had served a purpose, as there was no Fire Nation occupation just yet. But, Ren noted, there were quite a few guards milling the streets. Perhaps they had heard news of the invasion of Omashu, and were growing wary.

The dynamic between the two had changed tremendously, Ren also thought. No longer did a stiff silence sit between them, threatening the very existence of the mission. No longer did Ren just look at Aang and see nothing more than a liability, an immature preteen who couldn't take his training seriously. He saw him as a friend now, something he'd not realised he was so desperately craving.

They wandered around aimlessly for about another hour, the town waking up around them. A bag salesman had opened up to the street and was advertising a very exquisite satchel with gold trim. Ren thought it best not to waste their money on it, as he was more interested in the flyers the man outside was selling.

"Psst, you! Yeah, you there, in the blue! Your kid there like throwing rocks? He like earthbending? Then go check out Master Yu's Academy!"

Ren looked ready to smash him into the ground. With gritted teeth, he hissed, "He's not my son! He's my friend!"

Aang put a soothing hand on his arm, ignoring the joy he felt at being called Ren's friend. "Ren, relax. He's just trying to help." He turned to the salesman. "One flyer, please!" The distribution man gladly gave over one of the tickets. It was nothing much, just a bit of writing with an address, but it was as good a start as any. Shoving the flyer in Ren's face, Aang pointed at a small text box. "Look! There's a coupon here! The first lesson is free!"

Ren pushed the flyer out of his face. "I don't think that's quite what we're looking for. That seems a bit more… childish than what we need. Let's keep looking."

The rest of the city didn't have much more to offer in the line of earthbending teachers. They quickly took a look at this Yu guy's academy, but they both thought it was a bit… mundane for Aang's needs. There were plenty of children milling about, and Yu didn't seem like the type of fellow willing to drop all to travel with some marauding Avatar.

But what piqued their interest was the two boys over in the corner. "I think the Boulder's going to win back the belt at Earth Rumble VI!" one exclaimed.

"He's going to have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to get a shot at the champ," the other retorted. Ren nudged Aang and they walked over to the pair.

'Excuse me," Aang said, "but where is this Earth Rumble VI? Me and my friend want to go and watch." He plastered a broad smile across his face and beckoned towards Ren, who had his arms crossed with a stony expression. The two boys looked a bit nervous.

"You guys aren't like, Fire Nation, are you?" one of them asked, pointing a hesitant finger at Ren. He just raised an eyebrow. "We're not supposed to let in any firebenders apart from Fire Nation Man."

Ren pulled a sliver of water from his waterskin and bent it into a small whip, giving one of the boys a little flick on the wrist.. He jumped back in surprise and glared. "We're not firebenders," Ren concluded, "so can you tell us where it is?"

The boy who hadn't been whipped looked nervously at Ren's waterskin, before starting. "It's over at the mountain to the north at sunset tonight, and it's a gold piece for entry. Please don't whip me!"

Ren smiled. "Nah I won't. Thank you for your help." The two boys scampered off, leaving Aang and Ren alone. They turned to each other, and grins spread across their faces. "Best earthbenders in the world, eh? I reckon we've found your teacher."

; ; ;

"The Hippo?"

"Nah."

"The Boulder?"

"Probably a no-go."

"Fire Nation Man?"

"I'm not even sure he's an earthbender, to be completely honest."

Ren sighed exasperatedly. It was nearing the final fight of the evening and the two had no success in identifying anyone who might have been able to teach Aang. Ren was hunched over, handling his head in his hands. "Well, if we don't find anyone soon, we'll have to wait until Ba Sing Se to find a teacher easily. So I'd recommend that we make up our mind soon. What about The Gopher?"

Aang grunted. "I hate to be picky, but none of these guys really seem –" His words were cut short over the booming intercom announcement.

Xin Fu stood up on a high pedestal, overlooking the arena and the surrounding spectators and a bright spotlight bearing down on him._ "Now the moment you've all been waiting for!"_ He yelled into a loudspeaker and the crowd went wild. From the opposite corner of the ring to The Boulder, Aang could see three figures. The one in the middle, though it was hard to tell in the lighting, seemed to be a lot shorter than the other two. _"The Boulder versus… the Blind Bandit!"_

The person in the middle, who seemed like a girl, raised an extraordinarily large, green belt above her head that must've been twice the size of her. She had black hair with a slight fringe covering her eyes, which were a faint green. The two people either side, whom Aang deduced were assistants, took her belt and her cloak and sauntered off the stage, leaving the Boulder and the girl alone.

Ren poked Aang in the ribs, temporarily drawing his attention from the fighters. "I don't think there's much point in staying, Aang. We've got a blind girl who can't be any taller than _you _facing off against the guy who's been winning fights left, right, and centre tonight. If we leave now we can get to the next town by morning."

Aang shook his head. "Let's stay for a bit. The girl is the champion anyways, so she might be good. You never know." He shrugged. "Besides, staying for the fight won't impact our schedule that much. Come on! I haven't had any fun in ages!"

Ren sighed. "Fine. Just this one last fight. Then we go."

Aang grinned and jumped a good few feet in the air. "All right! Go, Blind Bandit!" He sat back down and wiggled in his seat, looking back out to the arena in anticipation.

; ; ;

Toph wasn't sure why, but she always harboured mixed feelings about her secret life as a pro bender. On one hand, she loved and relished to opportunity it gave her to actually express herself, to be who she was and to let lose all of her pent-up frustration on some jelly-legged benders.

On the other, she hated the fact that it had to be secret. Because of her blindness, her parents kept her locked up inside the walls of their property and had her training privately with a frankly awful earthbending 'master'. She was never allowed out, never had the opportunity to make friends, never even got to go to school because her parents thought that it was too harsh for their _weak, small, innocent girl._ All she had for herself was the arena, and the desire she had to be able to live this life of freedom full-time was so all-encompassing that she ended up hating the idea of having to keep it a secret.

But of course, no one knew that. No one cared enough to ask.

She could sense The Boulder fluffing about on the opposite side, waving his arms in the air to his fans, but all with a nervous composure, judging by his heartbeat. She smiled. Another easy victory for herself.

The Boulder spoke first. "The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl."

Toph just laughed and pointed at him. "Sounds to me like you're _scared,_ Boulder!"

She couldn't see his facial expression right now and she wished she could so bad, judging by the pause until he spoke again. "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you screen in a rock-alanche!"

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" She threw her head back and laughed.

"It's on!"

Now, focus. Toph stopped laughing and breathed slowly, waiting for The Boulder to make any sign of – ah, there it was. She heard his ragged breaths from the other side of the ring, snapping her to attention. Shock waves ran through the ground and right up her body. She felt The Boulder take a heavy step onto his heel, moving towards her, slightly elevated heart rate, other foot moving up onto its metatarsals to take another step. She smiled. It was so simple, it was almost unfair.

She swung her right foot in front of her body and lowered her stance, waiting for the perfect moment. The muscles in The Boulder's leg flexed, and he prepared to stomp the ground with his other leg to send a rock flying. But Toph was prepared.

Reflexively, she kicked out with her foot, sending a ripple of earth careening down towards The Boulder. His foot hit the ground and met the shockwave head on, forcing him out into a painfully wide split. He let out a painful squeal, and Toph almost smiled.

Her fun was finished, though. She chopped the air with her hand and sent three stalagmites towards The Boulder, hitting him well off the stage and into the wall below the grandstand.

She smiled smugly, another win under her belt. It would only be a matter of time until the jig of her career was up and people found out who she was but right now, she had to relish the moment. _"Your winner, and still the champion, the Blind Bandit!"_ Xin Fu announced over the loudspeakers.

; ; ;

Ren tugged on Aang's sleeve, but he wouldn't budge. "Aang, come on. I said one more fight and we go."

Aang didn't seem at all fazed or interested by Ren's words, instead smiling maniacally down at the blind girl. "Did you see that! She waited and listened, just like Bumi said! She's _got _to be the one!"

As they argued, Xin Fu had jumped down to the arena, catching his fall with earthbending. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" He raised a green bag in the air for the crowd to gawk at, but everyone was silent. No one really wanted to get rolled by the Blind Bandit. "What? No one dares to face her?"

Aang was itching to put his arm up and volunteer, but Ren wouldn't let him. "Aang, I know you want to, but we can't attract attention. You're the Avatar, you've got to lay low." Aang huffed and crossed his arms, slightly annoyed, and sat back down in his chair.

A tentative hand poked Ren on the shoulder, causing him to turn around. A timid peasant was grinning ever so slightly, and staring at Aang. "Is your son there _really _the Avatar?" A few other spectators turned their head, and gasped at the sight of Aang.

Ren sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "Yes he is, but he's not my–"

All of a sudden, the villager's hand shot up and yelled to Xin Fu, "This guy will fight you! He's the Avatar!" A few of the surrounding villagers smiled and started yelling and hooting for Aang to go and fight. He just shrunk into his seat, nervous about all the sudden attention.

"Everyone, please calm down," Ren shouted, trying desperately to be heard over the chanting, but it was much too late. Almost the entirety of the spectators had caught on, and Xin Fu's attention had been drawn to the young boy with the arrow tattoos.

Xin Fu bowed his head and raised a fist in the air, indicating the crowd to silence. He waited until the last echoes of the chanting had died down, and then looked up and pointed at Aang. "The Avatar, eh? I hear you're a pretty wanted man in the Fire Nation. How about we have a special little fight, huh?"

Aang stood up out of his seat and looked at Ren, who could do nothing but sigh exasperatedly. Turning back to the two earthbenders, he shrugged. "I will, I guess. Can I talk to the Blind Bandit, though?"

The girl just laughed. "Sorry, pal. No interviews until after the fight."

Aang shook his head. "No, no, it's not that at all, I –"

"_I have a proposal!" _Xin Fu shouted, interrupting their conversation and drawing the attention of the crowd once more. "How about this: you versus the two of us. If you win, you get these gold pieces and can talk to the Blind Bandit to your hearts content. If _we _win," a devilish smile appeared on his face, "we get to turn you over to the Fire Nation and collect your reward!"

"But that's two on one? That's not fair!"

"Fine! Bring your buddy over there in blue along as well," Xin Fu, said, waving his hand dismissively. Ren grunted.

Aang turned to Ren, a pleading look in his eyes. "Come on, Ren. This could be my only chance to find an earthbending teacher!"

Ren grumbled. "Come on then," standing up and pulling Aang up with him, "let's get it over with. We're getting you a disguise after this."

Aang and Ren walked down a set stairs to the arena, the crowd jeering around them. Xin Fu stood confidently on the platform, arms crossed and staring down the pair as they walked up onto the fighting ring. The Blind Bandit barely moved a muscle, instead scrunching her eyebrows.

"I can barely feel that kid's footsteps," she muttered to herself, a slight wave of uneasiness washing over her.

"_NEWCOMERS, THE RULES ARE SIMPLE!" _Xin Fu boomed, lulling the crowd to an excited hush. He waited a moment, letting the silent tension fester. "Once a fighter is knocked off the platform, they're out. Headshots are allowed. No weapons, just bending. So, Avatar, if you wouldn't mind putting your staff away…"

Aang obliged, jumping down off the side of the arena and rested the glider against the wall. He airbent himself back up and nodded.

Three large barrels of water were hoisted up onto the arena by some assistants, upon Xin Fu's command. He shrugged. "Gotta give you two a chance. Alright, fighters ready!"

All four took fighting stances. Ren pulled a large stream of water, wrapping it around his arms like large whips. Aang stirred up an air scooter beneath him, ready to pelt off at a moment's notice. "Fighters ready?" Xin Fu bellowed. The crowd began to whistle and cheer loudly, and Aang and Ren nodded, narrowing their eyes in concentration. "GO!"

"You take the girl! I'll handle Fu!" Ren shouted, moving quickly to avoid a quick moving boulder sent his way, sending a dagger of ice in return. Aang nodded, zipping over to where the girl stood, waiting.

"Hey, I'm Aang! Nice to meet you!" he said brightly, scooting in circles around her. He could see small beads of sweat gathering on her forehead from concentration. He hopped off the scooter, landing on the ground with the lightest of footsteps.

Faster than he would've thought imaginable, she whipped around and stamped a foot in the ground, sending a shockwave of dirt right to Aang's feet. He jumped instinctively, only just missing the large slab of earth that had jutted out of the earth where he just stood. Aang floated around to the other side of the girl, lifting himself with air. Taking a quick glance to the side, he could see Ren fighting Xin Fu. And despite the clear abundance of earth all around them, Ren seemed to be dismantling every one of Fu's attacks, and had frozen his left foot to the floor.

Aang landed back on the ground with the softest of footsteps. The girl turned to him, an upset expression plastered on her face. "Someone's a little light on their feet!" she exclaimed, sending a boulder hurtling through the air at him. "Come face me like a man, Twinkle Toes!"

Aang jumped, narrowly avoiding the rock. "Miss Bandit, I need to ask you something!"

"Do you always talk this much when you're fighting?" she snarled, sending two more boulders flying towards the sound of his voice. "What do you want?"

"I think you're meant to be my earthbending teacher!" Aang panted, tired from all the running and avoiding. He wasn't sure how much longer he could have kept it up, but thankfully she had stopped, momentarily confused.

"Me? Why?"

"My friend Bumi told me I had to find an earthbending sifu that waits and listens, and that's what you're doing. So if we could please –"

Their conversation was cut short. The Blind Bandit was pushed harshly off the arena surface by a large blast of water, sending her flying towards the wall. Aang whipped his head around to see Ren poised in a fighting stance, with Xin Fu nowhere in sight. The crowd around them went into a frenzy, cheering and yelling and clapping their hands, clearly jovial at the arrival of a new champion.

Ren stood straight and smiled a little bit, basking in the glory for a brief moment before turning to Aang. "Let's go get our reward," he said pridefully, walking down the steps of the arena. Aang followed suit, slightly frustrated at Ren interrupting his conversation.

The Blind Bandit had stood up and brushed herself off, while Xin Fu remained slumped against the wall, groaning. They were both drenched head to toe from Ren's attacks, and both appeared equally annoyed. "We'll take that money now, if you wouldn't mind," Ren said blissfully, holding his hand out expectantly to Xin Fu. He just groaned and threw the sack of gold at their feet.

"Well, I hope you're happy," the Blind Bandit said from behind. Aang and Ren both whipped around to see the girl there with her arms crossed and her eyebrows scrunched together in an expression of discontentment. "Your little distraction cost me the match!"

Aang shot a withering glare at Ren. "It was never meant to be a distraction, I swear," he pleaded. "I seriously was just trying to talk to you!"

'Well, you've got your chance now. Better make it quick, I'm not waiting around for you dunderheads." With that, she spun on her foot and began to walk back towards the wall of the arena, leaving Aang and Ren no choice but to run after her.

"I'm looking for an earthbending master, and I think it's supposed to be you," Aang explained, catching up to her and matching her brisk pace. "I wanted to ask if you would teach me." He half expected some miraculous confession of surprise, or perhaps even just a small smile. In contrast, the Blind Bandit just snorted and laughed, much to the bewilderment of Aang.

"I'll pass. There's much better things I could be doing than teaching some newbie Avatar how to earthbend. Forget it." Reaching the outer wall, she stamped her foot into the ground, causing a portion of the rock to slide down and reveal a small, earthen hallway, much too low for Ren to fit in.

Ren was shocked. "'Forget it?' We're in the middle of a hundred year war and now that you've been presented with the opportunity to help end it, all that you have to say is that?"

"I gave you my answer. Now get lost!" she yelled, before entering the hallway and slamming the doorway abruptly in Aang's face. Both of them could do nothing but stand there with gaping mouths, and stare shockingly at the wall the girl had just disappeared into.

; ; ;

Iroh realised exactly what Zuko wanted to do before he even went. It was all too obvious the way he had glared at that soldier who had made Iroh dance for money, and in the linger of Zuko's gaze on the dual swords after the man had left. He knew how much his nephew loved wielding weapons, and the lengths to which he would go to get his way. Determination was most certainly one of Zuko's finer attributes.

On the contrary, though Iroh never enjoyed identifying weaknesses in others when he himself was flawed, Zuko was often hot-headed. He had dove into this pursuit for those swords and revenge and had failed to consider the repercussions of his actions, namely the nature of his choice in reference to his epiphany at the North Pole.

Iroh had been quite happy when Zuko questioned the bellicose foreign policy of the Fire Nation at the North Pole. _"What he did, with the Moon Spirit… that was wrong, right?" _Zuko had said, following his duel with Zhao and he and Iroh had been reunited. It was nothing to gawk at on its own, but it was evidence that Zuko's traits of benevolence and pacificism inherited from Ursa had not been forgotten. It showed that maybe Zuko could right the wrongs set by the Fire Nation and that he could choose to do better than his comrades.

Which is why moments like these, when Zuko had snuck out to 'find food' (Iroh knew it was just a ploy to disguise his intention to get the swords for himself) Iroh found himself annoyed. Zuko failed to recognise the hypocrisy in his actions, chastising the Fire Nation for abusing their power whilst doing exactly the same to further his individual agendas. He needed to help his nephew find his way.

He was preparing a pot of tea when Zuko returned to the campsite. The pot was brewing over an open flame as Iroh poked at the glowing embers with a stick, careful not to use his firebending even whilst in the wilderness alone. It was easier to keep up the charade of them as non-benders if it was practised even in secrecy, Iroh deduced.

"I brought us some things," Zuko said upon his arrival. He wore a full black body suit with a rucksack slung over his right shoulder, and the hilts of two swords jutted over his other shoulder. He reached into the bag and pulled out a loaf of bread along with some dried meats and a canteen of water, tossing them onto the ground beside Iroh.

Iroh feigned delight, picking up the objects and admiring them. "A delicious feast! Zuko, where did you get all of this?" Iroh asked, knowing full well where it had come from. It was written all over Zuko's expression that they were stolen.

Zuko ignored the question, and just grunted. He slung his rucksack down by the rest of their bags and their ostrich horse, before sitting around the campfire with Iroh, swords still slung over his back.

"Those swords look like the ones that man had earlier. Where did you get them?" Iroh asked, careful not to use an accusatory tone.

"Does it matter where I got them from?" Zuko snapped. An uneasy silence fell between them.

Iroh sighed. "Do not feel ashamed of our current position. As long as we can be satisfied with what we already have, we will be happier than the greedy man who owns many things. There is a simple honour in poverty, Zuko." He didn't respond immediately, instead grabbing two cups from the side of the fire and pouring himself and Iroh some tea. Iroh accepted the brew graciously.

"There is no honour for me without the Avatar," Zuko said, interrupting the silence. He idly swirled his tea around his cup.

Iroh took a sip. "There is something you _can _do to restore your honour, you know."

Zuko glanced over to Iroh, who sat with an innocent expression on his face. "What?" he hissed.

"You could apologise to the man you stole those swords from, and return them?"

"What? No!" Zuko exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"Deadly," Iroh replied, taking a sip of his tea. "Swallow your pride, young prince, and apologise. There is honour within humility."

"But they're mine now! I _earned _these swords. Consider it retribution for how he humiliated us earlier!"

Iroh sighed. "I agree that what the man may have done was not right, yes. But it did not warrant you stealing from him and threatening him. There is a difference between justice and revenge, Zuko. Revenge is to retaliate, and is hateful in nature; justice is to restore, and is an honourable deed. Do not confuse the two." He tried to keep his voice carefully controlled and calm, but it did little to calm his nephew.

Zuko yelled and threw the contents of his cup into the campfire. Standing up, he pointed and shouted at Iroh, "Why is this such a big deal to you? They're just some swords!"

Iroh's voice raised. "You thought the same thing when you took that lady Song's ostrich horse. What's next? A homeless man's money? A farmer's land? Someone's life? Think about what you are doing, prince Zuko! You cannot give in to this despair!" Zuko was silent, and turned away from Iroh. His mouth was closed tight in a thin line, and his eyes were squeezed shut. Iroh relented. "In the darkest of times, hope is something you give yourself. This is the meaning of inner strength."

Zuko turned to face Iroh, who had a sad expression on his face. He could see the feeling, the empathy, the love in Iroh's eyes. Abruptly, Zuko stood up leaving his tea cup discarded in the dirt.

He pulled himself free from Iroh's grasp and dashed off into the surrounding forest, grabbing the rucksack of items as he went. He kept running away and away from the campsite, not daring to look back to find out what Iroh was doing. As he travelled, he slipped his mother's blue demon mask from the sack and slipped it over his face, concealing his face entirely.

The Blue Spirit went back out into the night, and even he himself was unsure what he was going to do.

; ; ;

Aang and Ren did nothing much for the rest of the day besides wander around aimlessly. Aang tried to keep up his veil of hopefulness, secretly praying to whatever spirit would help them find the Blind Bandit again. Ren spent most of the day silent, aimlessly wandering between lines of shops, looking for nothing in particular. Momo had decided to join them on their walk, and was currently chattering into Aang's ear from his shoulder.

They stopped by the earthbending school, hoping to see if the girl might be there. She couldn't have been any older than Aang, and might've come here for lessons, Ren had deduced. They asked some of the kids loitering by the front entrance of the dojo if they had seen a blind girl enter before, but they all said no.

"A blind girl earthbending?" one kid snorted. "You're off your rocker, Avatar. There's no way someone could be an earthbender and be blind. Trust me, even the Blind Bandit isn't. It's just a way for her to make more money out of sympathy or whatever."

Aang groaned. He didn't have much longer before he would inevitably have to keep flying towards Chameleon Bay, maybe three days at a maximum. He couldn't continue this search forever and would be forced to find someone else to teach him earthbending, despite the nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him that she was the one.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Ren groaned as they left the dojo. "I just don't think we're gonna be able to find her. I mean, it sounds like no one has ever seen her outside of those stupid fights."

Their prayers were answered sooner rather than later, when a man dressed in a long, dark green blazer with a flying boar insignia on the lapel came running up to the two of them in the middle of the street. He seemed harmless, and wore a small pair of spectacles. Aang raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you sir?" Aang enquired, unconsciously gripping onto his staff a bit tighter.

The man was doubled over and clearly out of breath. He held a finger in the air to indicate a pause, and took a moment to catch his breath before standing up straight. "Pardon my asking, young man, but would you so happen to be the Avatar?"

Ren stepped in front of Aang, shielding him with his arm. "Who's asking?"

The man chuckled, pushing his glasses a bit further up his nose. "I mean no disrespect, gentlemen. I am a representative of the Beifong family, one of the most distinguished families in the region!" He paused, waiting for some kind of reaction from Aang and Ren, but none came. Ren coughed. Aang raised an eyebrow.

The man sighed, muttering something unintelligible under his breath, before forcing a smile back on his face. "Lord Lao Beifong and Lady Poppy Beifong have heard about your current stay in their city, and graciously offered to host you and your pets during your stay. It is their honour to help the Avatar in whatever way they can."

Ren was about to object when he heard his stomach rumble with almighty roar. He had chosen to save their gold pieces for an emergency but, as a result, had not bought any food today. Sparing a glance at Aang, who shrugged his shoulders in response, he turned back to the man. "Will there be food?"

The representative smiled. "I am sure of it. If you would like to follow me please, I will show you the way."

; ; ;

Aang wasn't one for earthly attachments, but the Beifong estate nonetheless took his breath away. Once they had passed through the main wall surrounding the property, he was met with carefully manicured gardens, a quaint bridge crossing a small pond and large complex of buildings, all situated around one large manor. The land was being tended to by several servants and guards flanked the outer wall. Its appearance was quite a different sight from the rest of the city, where litter resided on the dirt roads and people lived in small wooden cottages.

Aang, Ren, Appa and Momo were led into the complex of buildings by a procession of three guards. The representative that had brought them here beckoned towards the stables, off to their right. "We have accommodation for your bison just there," he said. "We have stocked it full of hay just for him." Appa roared, sniffing the food in the air, and began to trod over to the stables much to the terror of the stablemen. Despite Appa's docile nature, his physical appearance left the poor servants thinking otherwise.

Once Appa was settled, Aang and Ren were led through the front entrance of the main house. The interior was painted with a light green finish, perfectly complementing the rest of the décor and the robes of the two figures sitting at the other end of the room. They seemed regal, emanating a type of grace that Aang had rarely seen, and sat on beautifully woven cushions.

The man spoke first. "Welcome, Avatar Aang. My name is Lao Beifong and this here," he beckoned with his hands to the woman sitting by his side, "is my wife, Poppy Beifong. We are honoured to have you here as guests."

Poppy smiled and nodded, before pulling aside one of their manservants. "Could you go and grab Toph? She must meet our visitors." The man bowed deeply and went off scurrying into the bowels of the house. Poppy looked back at Ren and Aang, who seemed a little self-conscious standing in the middle of the room doing nothing. She clapped her hands and two servants scurried into the room, carrying pillows. "Please, sit," Poppy hummed.

Aang and Ren obliged. "Thank you very much for hosting us during our stay. This is a nice change of pace from sleeping on the ground," Aang joked. Lao and Poppy let out slgithly forced laughs.

"Well we can assure you, young Aang, that you will sleep on nothing but the finest bedding while with us!" Lao declared, beaming.

Just then, the servant sent to fetch the daughter reappeared in the hallway. Clearing his throat to alert his employers, he spoke. "I apologises for the interruption, but Toph has arrived." From behind the man's legs walked a girl no taller than Aang, with long hair tied up behind her head and eyes of a pale green hue.

Aang's eyes grew wide as soon as he put the dots together that this was the Blind Bandit. Ren had the same realisation too, giving Aang the slightest nudge in the ribs. They turned to face each other but Ren put a finger over his lips.

"Gentlemen, this is Toph Beifong, our lovely daughter!" Poppy announced. Toph bowed only slightly and produced a courteous smile. "Toph, let me introduce you to the Avatar and his friend!"

At those words, she instinctively stiffened. Of course, it was her luck that the very people who had been begging her for earthbending lessons the night earlier, so conveniently chose to stay at her home. Had she known that it was these two, she might have been able to prepare herself for the surprise, but those blasted pillows they sat on stopped her from noticing who exactly it was before.

Her smile turned into a strange grimace. "It is an honour to meet you, Avatar. If you'll excuse me, I have to run off and… do… some things…" She trailed off, speaking through gritted teeth. Without another word, she spun on her heel and began to walk back from whence she came.

Lao sighed, resting his face in his palm. "I apologise for my daughter's attitude. She can be quite… stubborn at times. Believe us, we're trying our best to fix her manners." Forcing a smile back onto his face, Lao looked back up. "Anyways, what brings you both to Gaoling?"

Aang fidgeted with his hands, unsure whether to reveal the truth about Lao's daughter to her. "I've been looking for an earthbending teacher, and well…"

Ren, sensing Aang's indecision, piped up. "And we thought we'd stop here to look, given that this is one of the greatest Earth Kingdom cities outside of Ba Sing Se and is likely bound to have a great earthbending master for Aang." He turned to face Aang briefly, who flashed him a grateful smile.

Lao snapped his fingers. "You must meet with Toph's instructor, Master Yu! He would be exemplary as a master for the Avatar. Shall I arrange a meeting with him for you?"

Ren waved his hand dismissively, hoping to get Lao off their back. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. With all due respect, we prefer to handle these matters ourselves but we will most definitely inquire into Yu's availability." Ren had subconsciously reverted back to speaking with a cold politeness, a trait he had picked up from his lengthy term as Arnook's surrogate son and the publicity he had to deal with. He faked a yawn. "I do believe it is time for Aang and I to turn in for the day. We woke up quite early you see, and we need our rest for a big day of training tomorrow."

Aang got the hint, and similarly imitated tiredness. "Uh, yeah, I need to go to sleep as well." He stood up and bowed deeply to Poppy and Lao. "Thank you once more for letting us stay at your home. See you in the morning!"

Poppy smiled. "The pleasure is all ours, Avatar. Servant, would you show these two to their rooms?"

As Ren and Aang stood up and collected their few belongings before tailing the servant to their sleeping quarters, they shared a glance at each other and an unspoken message passed between them. They needed to find some way to get Toph to train him, but not let those parents know. They clearly had no idea what their daughter was capable of.

"Still don't think we can find the Blind Bandit?" Aang whispered in Ren's ear as they strutted off to their rooms.

"Shhh! I never said that!"

; ; ;

Aang was just on his way out of the bathroom when Toph finally caught him. Holding his razor for his scalp in one hand and a small toothbrush made of fine fur from Appa, he was confused to find the blind girl standing in the doorway.

He stood to the side of the room and splayed his arms to reveal the room. "Oh, my bad, if you need to use the restroom I'll get out." He tried to awkwardly squeeze through the doorframe without touching Toph before she grabbed a bundle of his shirt and threw him back into the bathroom.

"What are you _doing_, Twinkle Toes?" she asked, her mouth settling into a deep frown. Her arms returned to their crossed position.

Aang sheepishly smiled and itched the back of his neck. "Well, your parents invited me to stay, and right now I was just –"

"No, not that, you idiot. What are you doing? I already told you that I'm not joining you."

Aang straightened himself up and sighed. "I know. You told me as much yesterday. Why, though? As far as I can tell, you hate this place!"

"They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?"

Aang shrugged. "You could come with us?"

He swore could see an expression of consideration cross her features, but it passed so quickly it could well have been a trick of the light.

"Can't. My life is here." _What life? _A voice in the back of her head said. _You can't even leave the property walls! _She shoved those thoughts to the side.

"Okay, fine. I won't ask you about it again. But…" he hesitated, nervous as to if the question was too touchy. "How are you so comfortable when moving?"

She raised an eyebrow, clearly having no idea what he meant. "You're going to need to elaborate a little better, Twinkle Toes."

"You're blind, but you can walk and fight just as well as any other person with sight. How do you do it?" Aang asked.

Toph shrugged, gradually losing her tough posture. "Haven't told many this before but I might as well tell you. Probably owe the world at least that much anyways, seeing as I'm not training the Avatar to end the war." She paused, thinking of perhaps the best way to articulate herself. "Even though I'm blind, I've never had a problem seeing. I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, the walls of the house…" she crinkled her nose and poked her tongue out, "even the lemur thingy taking a Number One on the roof."

"Oh, Momo," Aang chuckled, shaking his head. "But, wow… that's amazing. I've never heard of that before."

The crazy thing is, when he said it, Toph could tell he was actually being genuine. His voice didn't change, nor did his heartbeat. Unlike the few people who saw her 'seismic sense' as just a ploy, or the admirers who would spill praises in hopes of taking advantage of her, Aang didn't view her blindness as a hinderance, or her sight as some novelty. He saw who she actually expressed herself as, and that was just of a very talented earthbender. He was actually interested in her sight just for the sake of it, Toph realised.

A little shaken, she frowned and replied, "Uh, thanks." Suddenly overly uncomfortable, she stepped forward. "Alright. My turn in the bathroom. Get out."

Aang just grinned, strutting around Toph and out of the room. Before heading off down the corridor to his room, he poked his head around the doorframe, and said in a cheery goice, "Night, Toph!"

"Yeah, yeah, goodnight. Whatever," Toph said dismissively, too lost in thought to conceive a proper reply. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her all to stop thinking about Aang's question. _"You could come with us?"_ he had said, such a simple statement to him yet he could never understand the repercussions it would have on her. For most of her life, all Toph had wanted to do was to get out of this prison she called home. Her parents never let her do anything, she had non friends, and her earthbending 'teacher' was holding her back. She was coddled, pampered, and watched at every turn and she hated it. And once again, she had blatantly passed up the opportunity to leave this life and start anew and once more, it had been squandered by her stubbornness. She tried desperately to stop these ideas.

But as Aang wandered down the hall, carefree as ever, those thoughts starting soaring through her head faster than ever before, as if her last chance of escape was walking away forever.

Her house suddenly seemed more like a prison than ever before.

; ; ;

"Dinner is ready!" Xei's wife called out from down the corridor. Xei sighed, swinging his feet off the bed from his lying position and pushing himself up into a seating position. He winced as his back screamed in pain, a result of an earlier altercation.

"Coming, honey!" he yelled with gritted teeth, careful not to yell out in pain as he stood up. He clutched the right side of his abdomen, where most of the bruising had occurred, and dawdled down to the hallway. He used his other hand to keep balance against the wall as he walked, down towards the delicious scents of dinner.

The events of the day kept swirling through his head. He was a big believer in karma, which is why he wasn't too surprised to get jumped by a man in a blue mask on his journey home, especially after how he had treated those two homeless men earlier. The mugger was quick, ruthless, and had taken away his swords, his most prized possession as a member of the local garrison. Apparently other locals had been stolen from as well, and had named the serial thief as 'The Blue Spirit.' According to some rumours, it was the very same person who released the Avatar from a top-secret Fire Nation prison.

Xei was in bad shape when he arrived home. His torso all bruised, his wife had immediately taken to lying him on the bed and applying ointments to his wounds. Thank the spirits that she was a herbal pharmacist, the inflammation had already died down drastically. Yet despite the bandages enveloping his body, he still winced with every step. In the morning, he'd surely have to send a letter to his boss and tell him that he'd be MIA for a few weeks, and that he'd need a new weapon. He'd be careful not to say that he lost his swords in a mugging, rather, they were taken as spoils of war as he took on ten firebenders all at once, and narrowly lost to the very last, who had spared his life in respect.

A knock on the front door interrupted his reverie, coming from the entrance at the end of the corridor. His wife poked her head cautiously out of the kitchen into the hallway and shot Xei a curious glance, as if to say _"why would someone be knocking at this hour?"_ Xei could only shrug.

He limped to the front door as his wife abandoned the kitchen and took a quick glance through their makeshift peephole in the door. Xei noticed her body tense up as she did so, and she turned from the door. "There's nobody there, Xei," she spoke, a tense smile forming on her face. "Maybe it was just the neighbour's boy making trouble again?"

Xei knew better. He wouldn't bet on anyone pulling a prank like that while the Blue Spirit was still around somewhere. He walked forward and instinctively put an arm out to shield his wife, edging closer to the door. "Stay behind me," he murmured, his other hand inching closer to the door handle. His pain had been temporarily forgotten, replaced by the rising adrenaline levels coursing through his body.

Quick as he could, he swung the door wide open and dropped into a defensive position, fists raised. Although he had been taught little about hand-to-hand combat with the exception of swords, he would do anything to protect his wife and home. "Who's there?" he yelled, whipping his head around.

It was ultimately unnecessary. After a moment, Xei realised that his front porch was completely devoid of any kind of assassin or criminal, and the street was devoid of all life par the cabbage merchant packing up his sales cart, who was staring at him rather strangely.

"You alright, sir?" the man called out from across the street.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just… did you see anyone knock on my door by chance?" Xei replied, cautiously standing back up straight, eyes darting about.

"Sorry sir, I haven't. Wanna buy some cabbages though?"

Xei waved his hand dismissively. He took one last look around the outside of the house before going to close the front door, and forgetting about this whole debacle. Yet, just as he went to close the door, he noticed it.

On the floor, just in front of where the door was located, were a pair of broadswords sheathed in a scabbard, and were undoubtedly his. Tentatively, he picked them up, and drew them out of their container. They were still in immaculate condition, and their hilts had not been damaged at all, par from the small, one-word engraving on one of its handles.

It simply read, _Sorry._

; ; ;

Sometime after midnight Aang was fast asleep, dreaming of adventures with Katara, Sokka, Ren and Monk Gyatso all flying on sky bison in the night sky. He was laughing with endless mirth; happy that for once, the four people who he could happily call family were all here together. Unfortunately for him, the dream didn't last for much longer.

Without a second warning, Aang's door blew wide open, causing him to snap out of his sleep instantly. He yelped and jumped out of his bed, and fell into a fighting stance, but lowered it as he saw who kicked it open.

"Toph? What are you doing here?"

She was dressed in a simple nightgown, and her hair was let loose rather than in the typical bun. Her face, although hidden mostly by the dark of the night, was scrunched up in thought, as if she were at odds with herself. "Shut up and listen," she snapped, effectively silencing any questions Aang might've had. "Look, I thought about your offer again."

A huge smile appeared on Aang's face. "You have?"

"The servants, Master Yu, even my own parents all think I'm weak just because I'm blind. They fuss over me and take care of every little detail of my life, when they don't realise I can probably look after myself better than they can. You and your waterbending buddy are the only people I've ever met who haven't cared about the fact that I'm blind, and actually see me for me."

Aang nodded solemnly. "I get what you mean. Back when the Air Nomads were still alive, the only person that still recognised me for who I was was my mentor, Monk Gyatso. Everyone else wanted to treat me differently after they found out I was the Avatar."

Toph threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. "See? You get it!" Aang grinned, glad they were finally on the same page.

A moment later, though, he was confused. "So what now?" he asked, scratching the top of his head. A devious grin grew across the blind girl's face, and she rubbed her hands in anticipation.

"Fire up, Twinkle Toes. We're gonna get you earthbending."

Aang pumped his fist in the air. "All right! When do we start?"

Toph paused to consider this. "I haven't actually thought that far ahead, to be honest." She stroked her chin with her hand. "When everyone else is asleep, we'll sneak to the caves where I used to learn so that no one will notice. Meet me out the front of the house tomorrow at midnight." And just like that, she turned on her foot and left, kicking a small spike of earth up behind the door as she exited to close it.

Aang smiled, and flopped back down onto his bed. His hand went up to his neck, where Kya's necklace sat, smoothing his thumb over the surface to bring him some comfort and connection to Katara and Sokka. He hadn't realised just how much he missed them until now, and wondered what they'd think of Toph. He let out a resounding yawn and curled up under the blankets, falling asleep with his hand on the necklace and happy thoughts in his head.

; ; ;

**A/N: Yay! Toph's here! I'd like to think my story is beginning to take some more shape, and that I'm appropriately integrating all the characters. Still, I know I haven't done much of Zuko, Iroh, and Azula, but I assure you they'll be popping up soon ;) **

**I recognise that within the original show the Gaang went to the swamp, and that's how Aang knew he had to find Toph, but ultimately I didn't think it was terribly necessary and it wouldn't have been a chapter that would've impacted the story terribly much.**

**Also, as you can probably tell, Iroh is being a lot more vocal than he perhaps was in the original series, and I do have reasoning behind it. After Zuko's increased exposure and recognition of the wrongs of the Fire Nation at the North Pole, Iroh perhaps thought that Zuko had begun to realise earlier that the war was bad and that his honour could not be given to him by Ozai, hence he is frustrated at Zuko's actions as it feels like a step back.**

**This section will also be a two-parter, similar to the Siege of the North. I have yet to decide whether Zuko will re-emerge in this next section, or if I will bring in K+S+B+K+S.**


	12. The Blind Bandit - The Badger Mole

"Come on, Twinkle Toes. I'm literally just asking you to move that pebble."

"I'm _trying!_"

They'd been out here for goodness knows how long, trying to get Aang to earthbend. So far, he'd failed at every little task thrown his way, and he just didn't know why.

"You've got to stop thinking like an airbender! To be honest, stop thinking at all! Get out of your own mind, and face the problem head on." Toph was longing over a boulder, lying on her back and pulling an extraordinarily large booger out of her nose with her pinky.

Aang's eyebrows furrowed, determined to make one last conceited effort. He fell into his horse stance, and thrust his fist outward in a stiff movement. Drops on his forehead began to form as he squeezed and flexed, trying to just _budge_ the earth even slightly and just trying to –

_Pffffffffffff!._ Aang's eyebrows widened with shock and embarrassment as he let out a disgustingly loud airbender fart. Toph instantly swung up from her seated position, her finger frozen up her nose. "Did… did you just fart from trying to move a pebble?" she said, her mouth slowly forming into a huge grin as she said it.

"…no?"

"Oh my spirits," she laughed, not bothering trying to disguise her mirth. She gripped her sides, letting out waves of high-pitched giggling that somehow seemed too childish for her tough personality. "You're such a liar!" she let out between fits. Aang thanked the world that Toph was blind for the first and last time, so that she couldn't see his mortified expression and his flushed cheeks.

After a few moments more of laughter, Toph subsided. "There's gotta be something we can do to get you bending," she thought out loud, tapping her chin.

Aang shrugged. "Well, how did you learn?"

Toph's face lit up and she snapped her fingers. "That's it! Aang, you're gonna come with me to visit my favourite people ever."

"Who? I thought your parents weren't earthbenders?"

"Not them, you dunderhead. Besides, they probably wouldn't be my favourite people anyway. I live them purely because of necessity. We're going to visit the badger moles! They live in the mountains just west of here. At least I think it's west?"

Aang gasped. "You've met badger moles before? Wild ones? How come they didn't eat you?"

She paused to consider this. "I never really thought about that before, to be honest. I ran away when I was six, and I guess that must've just understood me because they were blind, too. I learned to earthbend by copying their movements, which is how I learned to see things with earthbending."

"That's so cool!" Aang exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go find them!" Aang immediately tried to go off in a mad dash toward the mountains, before Toph reached out and grabbed a fistful of Aang's collar, holding him back

"Woah now, hot shot. We should probably head back now before we get caught. We'll go tomorrow, same time?" she asked, releasing Aang.

Aang grinned, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sounds good."

They strolled back to the house, obscured by the darkness of the early morning. They talked and talked, Aang recounting his time with the Air Nomads and Toph disclosing her origins as the Blind Bandit. "I dunno," she said, shrugging. "Heard one of the house guards talking about it. One thing led to another, and there I was, destroying fools left, right and centre and getting paid to do it."

They kept on like that until the first rays of sunlight began to poke over the horizon, just as they were no more than a hundred meters from the Beifong estate. Their voices had grown quieter, and their movements more discrete, but that didn't silence their conversation.

"Oh man, you're gonna love it when we all leave inn a few days! We're gonna get to do so much –"

Toph silenced him, raising a hand in front of him. Her brow furrowed. "'We?'"

Aang frowned. "Of course. What did you think was going to happen when I had to leave? I thought you said you'd come with us last night?"

"I _agreed_ to train you, not go marauding around the world with you!" Toph snapped, purposefully ignoring the voice in the back of her head that wanted to do exactly that.

"But I thought –"

"Nuh-uh, Twinkle Toes. I teach you on _my _terms, no one else's. I already told you, my parents are here. It's not as easy for me to leave as you make it out to be."

Aang cocked his head to the side, contemplating. "Well, if you change your mind in the meantime, the offer is still open," he said half-heartedly, trying to figure out what he was going to do once he had left. With no Toph, there was no earthbending teacher for him. There was no mastering all the elements, no chance at becoming a fully-realised Avatar by Sozin's Comet. In succinct terms, he was screwed.

Fortunately, Toph somehow didn't pick up on the meaning behind his words. "Thanks," she said, slipping a smile back on her face and marching onwards ahead of a worried Aang.

; ; ;

Aang and Ren were being treated to an exquisite lunch at the Beifong estate during their search for a master. Roast turtle duck, steamed dumplings, and a generous serving of tofu for Aang, they marvelled at how the Beifongs were able to afford this much on a daily basis. They were joined by Toph and her parents, who made polite small talk while they ate.

At some point during the lunch, Aang looked over at Toph and was surprised. She wore a polite smile, ate with pristine table manners and wore fine clothing. Her hair was completely combed and her face had been dusted with a slight layer of make-up. This was certainly a contrast to Toph's vibrant green clothes she wore while fighting and training, and her boyish attitude and demeanour during those. Aang was shocked at how much her current appearance… wasn't her.

She could argue it all day long, but she wasn't the only one who could spot a lie. Aang could tell she hated it here. Something was holding her back, he just didn't know what.

He glanced up to the head of the table where Lao sat straight, pinching a dumpling in a pair of chopsticks crusted with gold leaf. He wondered if her father had any true idea as to Toph's prowess as an earthbender. Her father had mentioned briefly the day earlier that Toph was being trained by Yu, the guy whose school they had visited.

"So, tell me Lao," Aang started, ignoring the curious look from Ren, "is Yu a good teacher?" He saw Toph stiffen slightly in the corner of his eye.

Lao beamed. "Why, I'm told he's the best in the city! After all, I wouldn't have paid him to teach Toph for the past few years if he wasn't," he chuckled.

Aang hummed, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm, trying his best to stop the devilish smile from spreading across his face. "Is that so? Why then, Toph must be a master by now!" He glanced over to Toph, who was gripping her chopsticks so tightly her knuckles were white. Her jaw clenched.

Lao shook his head sadly, wholly oblivious to his daughter's reaction to the comment. "Unfortunately not. My daughter is much too fragile and weak. Yu is just teaching her the basics for now."

Aang frowned slightly. Weak and fragile were certainly not what he'd use to describe Toph. "I'm sure she's a much better earthbender than you thi-"

Aang's chair was shoved out from under him and he fell to the floor with a yelp. Looking around, he couldn't see anything that might have pushed him, save for… the rock sticking out of the ground. That was clearly Toph's handiwork. Almost as soon as he had spotted it, the spike retracted back into the floor, leaving no trace. "Are you alright, Avatar?" Poppy asked from the other side of the table, standing up slightly in her seat.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said, sitting back in his chair and wriggling it forwards towards the table.

"What happened?" Ren inquired, eyebrow raised. "Maybe we need to get our furniture looked at again."

"I just slipped out of my chair, that's all," Aang lied smoothly. He took one more glance over at Toph and, after seeing her discrete death glare, he decided not to press the issue further, quickly returning the subject of discussion back to what it was before he mentioned earthbending.

Before he looked away however, he saw a mix of emotions flash across Toph's face for only a moment. A mix of hurt, annoyance, satisfaction, and… longing? Aang wasn't really sure, and he could hardly ask to find out.

He stayed quiet for the rest of lunch, not trusting himself to say something dumb again and piss off Toph more.

; ; ;

The next morning they made their way out to the mountains outside Gaoling, Toph speedinng the two along on a large wave of churning earth. Aang pointedly chose not to discuss the topic of his imminent departure or their discussion from yesterday at lunch, as he was now full aware of the negative reception it would receive from Toph. Instead, he discussed his 'efforts' to find an earthbending teacher in Gaoling.

In reality, he and Ren had just spent the day training while they had the chance. Aang was quickly progressing through his waterbending forms and was now almost at a point where he could keep up with Ren in sparring. He spent a bit of time working with earthbending and proclaimed dismally that after an hour of strenuous focusing, he had only managed to move a pebble half a metre.

"Baby steps, Twinkle Toes," Toph chided, "Baby steps. You can't expect yourself to get it straight away. It's against your nature as an Air Nomad, isn't it? You're all about going with the flow and avoiding conflict."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, and this is all about standing my ground. It feels really unfamiliar still, but I'll get it eventually. I have to."

Silence ensued. Then: "I told Ren that I'm training you."

"Yeah? What'd he say?"

"Same sorta stuff as you." Aang knew she must've meant Ren asked her to travel with them. "Seems like a cool guy."

"Yeah, he's the best."

After a few minutes more of travelling and conversation about Aang's travels, they reached the mountain range. Toph had led them to a massive tunnel in its side, clearly carved by something enormous. The edges of the cave were rough and coarse, with large spikes and blankets of earth jutting out of the walls.

Aang couldn't help but feel slightly on edge when wandering into the cave with Toph. Already it was dark outside, but the cave seemed to swallow what shreds of moonlight had made their way to the ground. It was pitch black inside and despite the fact that Toph felt completely at ease here, he couldn't help but be a bit on edge.

"It's so dark in here," he chuckled nervously. "I can hardly see a thing!"

"How awful is that?" Toph deadpanned, walking onwards. "Can't imagine what that's like."

Aang smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." Toph, sensing his uneasiness, sighed.

"Look, if you're gonna be a baby about it," she said, reaching into her robes, "these might help." She pulled out two long wicker candles and a pair of strike-anywhere matches. "Figured you'd get a bit wimpy, so…"

Aang graciously accepted the gifts, and was about to light the first match before Toph stopped him. "You might have a bit of a surprise when you light the first one there," she said. Aang was sure that if he could have seen, she'd be grinning.

Bracing himself, he lit the candle and its warm orange light bathed the inside of the cave, revealing the small insects scurrying across the floor, the rocky walls, and… a massive badger mole standing no more than ten metres away.

Aang yelped and covered his face with his hand, peering through his fingers to better see the animal. It was surprisingly docile, and was watching the pair intently with a pair of beady grey eyes. He had seen these creatures mopping up the arena at Earth Rumble VI, but he had never imagined them to be so large. Toph raised a finger to her lips.

"Shh! Don't surprise it like that! You're lucky we found a calm one, not one of the ones out near Omashu!" She shivered. "I hear those guys can get quite hungry."

"Well, let's hope this one isn't." Aang gulped and withdrew his hand, trying to stand tall in the face of the animal.

"Don't back away from it, Twinkle Toes. Stand your ground." Toph whispered, standing beside him. She gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder in an attempt at calming him.

The badger mole lumbered forwards, its massive paws sliding across the ground in fluid movements. It edged its beady snout towards Aang, and started sniffing him. Aang stood firm, remembering back to his encounter with Hei Bai, the panda spirit, all that time ago. He had been brave to stand in front of the enraged beast, trying valiantly to calm it with his words. He had to draw from the same courage now.

The mole kept sniffing, brushing its snout up against Aang's robes. Yet Aang remained steadfast and unflinching, gripping the candle tight. Every instinct he had gained from the Air Nomads was telling him to run away from the badger mole and never look back, but strangely he pushed them aside.

After a few moments more, the badger mole ceased its inspection and turned away from him, clumsily turning around in the tunnel and strutting back down the tunnel from whence it came. Toph started to go after it, and beckoned Aang to follow.

"Good stuff, Twinkle Toes," she said. "Follow me and watch what it does. I might not be able to teach you how to start earthbending, but this guy sure can."

; ; ;

It was at least three in the morning when Lao woke up from a nightmare, sweating in his bed. He had dreamt of a burglary of the property gone awry, and his daughter had accidentally stumbled across the men. He had been forced to watch as she was murdered right in front of him, pleading for the men to stop, telling them that she was blind. But that hadn't stopped them from beating her senseless and slitting her throat while Lao could do nothing but look on helplessly, his legs unable to move.

It had been so uncannily vivid that he found it hard to believe it was just a dream. Somehow, he had to prove that it wasn't real.

He crawled out of his king-sized bed, careful not to wake Poppy, who was sleeping soundly to the side. He pulled on a pair of slippers and tied a robe around himself so as to protect himself from the viciously cold night time air. On his way out he grabbed a lantern and, after lighting it with a match, began to walk down the hallway to his daughter's room. He yearned to hear Toph's unruly snoring tonight. So often he had scolded her for it because it was unladylike but right now he wanted nothing more.

It was strange seeing the halls so devoid of life. He rarely got up this early, and the absence of his servants scuttling around the house only worked to strengthen his fears. If there had indeed been a burglary, it would make sense that all the workers had gone.

Lao kept one hand along the wall to steady himself as he walked, trying to ignore the thumping in his chest. He arrived at the doorway to Toph's room, and took a quick look inside. The candlelight made it hard to see the details, but sure enough, there was a Toph-sized lump underneath the bedsheets. He let out a sigh of relief, his uneasiness washing away.

"Toph, sweetie?" he whispered. "Are you awake?" It made no sense to be asking that to a sleeping child; if anything, it was more to himself. He was probably still half asleep as well.

No response. Satisfied, Lao smiled and walked back down the hall to his bedroom.

He was about to crawl back into bed when it really hit him: _No response. He couldn't hear her snoring._

Terrified, he ran back down towards Toph's room. He dropped the candle, letting out a loud crash as the glass cracked on the floor. A small shard leapt up from the impact and embedded itself in the back of his calf, but he didn't care or notice.

He came to the doorway and his ears didn't deceive him this time: there was no snoring. No sound at all. Not even the slightest echo of the intake of breath.

Lao leapt to her bedside, and gingerly touched the bedsheets. From down the hall he could hear mumbling, the drop of the lantern probably having woken someone up. He paid them no heed, and began to slowly pull back the covers. "Toph, sweetie? It's Papa here-"

He gasped as he drew the sheets back to reveal three pillows, stacked beside each other down the length of the bed. His eyes frantically searched the mattress but after a glance, it was clear Toph wasn't there. He turned deathly pale.

"Lao, honey? What's wrong?" Poppy said sleepily from the doorway, rubbing her eyes. "I heard you drop the lantern and I came as fast as I could. What's wrong?"

He didn't want to turn back to her, didn't want to read the disappointment and terror surely etched across his features. But he did, and he couldn't stop the next three words from stumbling out of his mouth.

"Toph is gone."

; ; ;

Aang didn't like to toot his own horn very much, but after hours of watching the badger mole's movements and familiarity with the earth, he had figured out how to earthbend. He was three-quarters of the way to learning the elements now.

"No way!" he exclaimed, as he stiffly raised a fist and punched outwards, bringing a boulder out of the floor and sending it flying towards the wall of the cave. "I'm an earthbender!"

Toph stood there, arms crossed, nodding. "Yeah you are, Twinkle Toes. You picked that up faster than anyone I've ever heard of. It took me a whole two days of running away to these guys to figure it out. Congrats to you."

Aang grinned, turning to Toph. "It's all thanks to you, Toph. I couldn't have done it without you."

Toph laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty great."

Just as she said that, the last candle Aang had been using for light snuffed out. Strangely enough though, the cave wasn't pitch black anymore. Aang's stomach plummeted.

Toph, clearly not able to notice, carried on. "I guess we can start your training for real now. You gotta have the right mindset for earthbending, so-"

"I don't think we have time for that. Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to the mouth of the cave. Toph rolled her eyes before pointing to her face.

"Blind, remember?"

"Sorry. But we have to go! I think it's daytime again!"

Toph's face paled. "My parents will kill me if they notice I'm missing. We'll start your training later. Come on, we gotta go _now._" Toph grabbed Aang by the collar and practically dragged him along with her as she sped out of the tunnel on another earthen wave.

When they reached the outside world again, Aang groaned. "It's past sunrise. No way someone hasn't noticed us yet!"

Toph shushed him, face scrunched in concentration. "Don't bet on it. There's still a chance they haven't realised we're gone." Her tone of voice betrayed her. This was the first time he had Toph ever sound doubtful or fearful, as if dreading the reaction from her parents.

They pelted through the mountain range at full speed, Aang giving directions as they went. As tired as he should have been, he was filled with adrenaline from the tension. They made it back to the outer wall of the Beifong property no sooner than thirty minutes after leaving the cave.

The two stood with their back to the wall. Aang leaped up to the top of it, sneakily scanning around for anyone on the lookout, while Toph used her seismic sense to double-check the places where Aang couldn't see. Strangely enough, though, there was no one out on the property, a very different sight from the expected one of servants milling about. He should've paid more heed to that fact, in hindsight.

"The coast is clear!" he whispered, not taking his eyes off the gardens. A moment later, Toph lifted herself up and over the wall with a column of earth and fell onto the grass, closely followed by a graceful landing from Aang. They quietly sprinted across the yard and kept a wary lookout for any onlookers, but none appeared.

They dashed up to the main door, which was left ajar. _Strange,_ Toph thought, _my parents would never allow the cold air to get in like this. They'd always tell someone to close the door._

She turned her head in what she thought was Aang's direction. "Okay, as soon as we go inside, we do not talk. We do not make a _single _sound. We go back to our bedrooms, and pretend to be sleeping. It's fine." Aang nodded uncertainly.

"If you say so."

But before they could make a move, they heard someone cry out from behind them. "Oh, Toph! Thank goodness!" Toph flinched at the sound of her father's voice, and slowly turned around. She frowned.

Poppy surged forwards across the grass, her arms outstretched. She was closely followed by Lao, who walked with a bandaged leg and a pair of crutches. They were accompanied by a procession of weary-looking workers who shot Aang a dirty look as they all dispersed to go back to their normal roles.

"Oh, my baby! My sweet, precious, little baby!" Poppy cried as she pulled Toph into a loving embrace. Toph chose not to return it. Poppy took a step back and held onto Toph's shoulders, looking her up and down. "You aren't hurt are you, sweetie? And where did you get these clothes you're wearing? What happened to the dresses we've bought you?"

Toph didn't answer any of the questions, opting instead to stand there silently with her lips pursed. She turned her head to Aang again and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but seemed much more like an upside-down grimace. Poppy noticed the look and turned her stare to Aang.

"How dare you take our daughter in the middle of the night?!" she hissed, shooting a hateful glare at him. "What did you do to her?"

Toph tried to interrupt. "Mother, relax, we were just-"

"Oh spirits, please tell me you didn't take her outside the walls! That's much too dangerous for her."

By this point, Lao had made his way over. He staggered up the stairs and came right up into Aang's face. "I am disappointed, Avatar. I believed you were above kidnapping."

"But sir, I didn't kidnap-" Aang tried to argue, but was interrupted by Lao.

"Do not lie to me, Avatar!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ren leaning against the stable wall, absent-mindedly stroking Appa's fur. Ren was looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"Sir please, if you would just let me explain. I didn't kidnap her, all we did was some earthbending. She's really good!" Aang pleaded, turning to focus on Lao.

Lao laughed. "She's still a beginner! Where would you get the ridiculous notion that our girl is a master? She is blind, defenceless, and helpless!" Toph clenched her jaw, but continued to say nothing.

"She's the greatest earthbender I've ever seen!" he challenged.

"That is enough. I've heard enough from you for today." Lao turned away, leaving a gobsmacked Aang. "You there!" he said, pointing to one of the servants with his crutch. "Take Toph up to her room and keep an eye on her. We'll be discussing this matter young lady, but there will be extreme consequences. You've had far too much freedom."

Toph was still silent when the servant came up to her and directed her with a hand on her back. Only when she was about to enter the house did she stop and turn back. "I'm sorry, Aang," she said, her voice sounding strained.

"I'm sorry too," was all he could reply with. He just wasn't sure what else he could have said. By this point Ren had left his position by the stables and had begun walking up to the confrontation.

"As for you, young Avatar," Lao began, turning back to Aang, "You have disgraced yourself in the eyes of this household. You are no longer welcome here. Please have your things packed as soon as possible and leave." His words hurt Aang like a dagger to the heart. It reminded him so much of that fisherman that fateful day during the storm, when Aang had finally confessed about the gravity of his mistakes.

"But, I-"

"Silence. Count yourself lucky I didn't hand you over to the authorities for this." And with that, he curtly turned on his good leg and hobbled into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Aang felt utterly miserable. He hung his head in shame and began to cry when a familiar hand grasped his shoulder, and he looked up to see Ren. The two didn't say anything for a while, just standing there as Aang quietly cried and Ren awkwardly tried to comfort him.

"Lao woke up early in the morning because of a nightmare," Ren recounted, breaking the silence. "Said that he looked for Toph in her bed but she was gone. He sent the whole house into a frenzy and got everyone out looking for her."

Aang nodded, sniffling. "Sorry."

Ren frowned and patted Aang's head. "All good. But it sounds like we'll need to get moving soon. Let's go get our stuff, yeah?"

Aang sighed, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Alright."

; ; ;

Aang was out sulking next to Appa, leaving Ren with the task of packing their things from their room. There wasn't much, just Ren's scrolls for teaching waterbending and their sack of gold from Earth Rumble VI, so it didn't take long. But Ren, still being slightly in favour with the Beifong parents, had managed to get hold of a quill and parchment, writing a letter to Pakku and Arnook in the North.

_Addressed to Pakku, Grand Master of the Northern Water Tribe and Arnook, Chief of the Northern Water Tribe_

_Dear Pakku and Arnook,_

_Now that we've found a bit of a lull in our journey, I thought it best to write to you and give a bit of an update._

_Aang and I are getting along a lot better. I told him of our tribe's… history with Usama and he told me about the nature of his disappearance from the world 100 years ago. They were quite similar stories, actually. He felt his masters had betrayed him by wanting to separate him from his father figure Gyatso, kind of like how we were betrayed by my father. I still hold burgeoning fears that one day, along our journey, I will confront him. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that._

_Regardless, Aang's a good kid. It's been hard, but he's finally beginning to feel like a bit less of a pupil and more like a brother of sorts. I can't imagine being separated from him now._

_I do have some news, however. Aang told me more about the two Water Tribe siblings he was travelling with before he came to us. Apparently they were from the South, and that they are struggling. Years of Fire Nation raids have left their once-great city in a state of disarray, no apparently no larger than a campsite. I urge you to try and reconnect with our sister tribe. I believe that in this time of war, our brothers and sisters from the south need our help inn rebuilding, and urge you two to consider sending help down there._

_In terms of Aang's training, he is going magnificently in waterbending. Dare I say it, he is even better already than I was at his age. He clearly has a knack for it. Pakku, we were not able to convince King Bumi to tutor Aang. He was adamant about staying to defend Omashu, and that he wasn't right for Aang._

_Which leads me to now. We finally found someone to teach Aang earthbending, a blind girl no older than he is who, I must say, is better than anyone I've ever seen, but she's unable to leave because of her parents. I can tell she wants to leave but she's been growing up in such a strict household, I don't know if she can bring herself to do it. It couldn't come at a worse time, just as Aang finally figured out how to earthbend. Yet another problem we will have to figure out._

_Arnook, Pakku, I miss you both so much. I hope the tribe is recovering well after the Fire Nation attack and that you have recovered from Yue's death. I have found it hard, but Aang's helped me a great deal in that regard._

_Sincerely,_

_Ren_

Satisfied with his letter, he rolled it up, tied it with a piece of string and slotted it into his bag. Taking one last glance around the room, everything had been packed up. He had neatly made their beds and had left a small note on the bedside table thanking the Beifongs and the staff for the hospitality.

He walked down the hallway of the house, heading towards the front entrance, when he heard a quiet sniffle from one of the rooms. He backtracked, walking back down the hall until he reached Toph's room.

Peering inside, Ren saw the twelve year old. She sat on her bed, feet dangling off the side. Her head was hung low and was crying slightly. Despite Ren's annoyance at the girl's attitude, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, stepping into the room. Toph's head immediately jerked up and she wiped her face with the sleeve of her yellow and green tunic, trying to mask the fact that she'd been upset.

"Fine," she responded curtly, putting on a tough expression. "What do you want?"

Ren sighed. "Look, I know it's probably not my place to say it, but I'm sorry for what happened. I should have kept better watch of you and Aang."

Her face softened slightly. "Thanks," she responded with a small smile.

"You know the offer still stands, right? The one Aang gave you?"

"Huh?"

"You can still come with us," he said. "I can tell you're not happy here, and I doubt Aang's gonna find a better earthbending teacher anywhere else."

"I gotta think about it."

Ren shook his head. "No time. I'm giving this letter to your parents so they can deliver it for me, and then we're leaving. We probably won't be back again. This is your last chance."

Toph was silent, mulling over the question. She knew very well what she wanted to do, she just didn't know if she could bring herself to do it just yet. "I…" she began, struggling to make words work, but gave up. "I need time to figure it out."

"You don't have time. We're leaving in a couple of minutes. Either you're with us or you're not. Choose wisely." And with that, Ren dawdled out of the room, and back down the corridor. Toph could hear the echo of his footsteps down the hall.

Toph threw up the options in her mind. Does she stay, and live the life of her parent's sweet, innocent, blind daughter and be showered in gifts and luxury? Or does she go and experience the world, but potentially sever any chance of a normal relationship with her parents?

It was when she heard the door slam from the front of the house that she finally decided.

; ; ;

The last of their things had been stored on Appa and the duo were about to leave. Lao had begrudgingly chosen to give them some food supplies, to which Ren had graciously accepted and thanked him for.

"It is my pleasure, Ren," Lao said. "I wish you well in your travels. As for your companion," he threw a dirty look at Aang, "make sure he ends the war."

"Of course, sir," Ren replied, bowing deeply and plastering a fake smile on his face. He climbed onto Appa and hopped in the saddle behind Aang, who was sat on Appa's furry neck holding the reins, with a downcast expression.

Ren placed a tentative hand on Aang's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. We'll find you a new earthbending teacher."

Aang sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ren waved goodbye to the Beifong parents as Aang shook himself out of his reverie and gripped tighter on the reins. "Appa, yip yi-"

"WAIT!"

Aang swiftly turned his head towards the double doors of the main house as Toph came sprinting out. "Don't leave without me!" she yelled.

Aang was gobsmacked at the change of heart, but not nearly as much as her parents were. They blocked her path as she reached the flying bison. "Young lady, what exactly are you doing out of your room?" Poppy demanded.

Toph shrugged. "Leaving," she said nonchalantly. Poppy scoffed.

"Toph Beifong, return to your room this _instant!_"

Toph stood up as tall as she could, and puffed out her chest. "No."

Lao was fuming as he reached out to point at her with his free hand. "You are staying right here!" he yelled, a touch of desperation creeping into his voice.

Toph scowled, indignantly replying, "Make me."

Poppy reached out to grab her by the shoulder, but Toph was faster. She turned her foot on the ground and the earth beneath Lao and Poppy's feet abruptly moved to the side, shifting them out of the way and making them lose balance. Poppy yelped as Lao fell to the floor, unstable on his crutch.

Satisfied that her parents were no longer a problem, she strolled forwards to Appa. Aang's mouth was opening and closing in shock, whereas Ren just watched on with a smug smile. "I see you made up your mind?" he asked.

Toph grinned, bending a stalagmite of earth and launching herself up into the saddle. "I kinda had to. Besides," she pointed with her thumb over towards where she thought Aang was, "someone's gotta teach Twinkle Toes here how to be an earthbender."

By that point, Poppy had helped her husband back to her feet. "Why, Toph?" he asked from beneath her. "We give you everything you could possibly ask for. You love it here. Why do you want to leave?"

Toph turned around in the saddle, her face red. "I hate it here! I'm never allowed to do anything! You hole me up in here as if I'm some sort of prisoner!"

"Please, Toph. We love you! Don't go!"

She turned her face away so that her parents wouldn't see her frown. "I know it's hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really good at it! You have to let me be my own person, Dad. I'm not going to pretend anymore to be something I'm not." She beckoned towards Ren and Aang. "I'm going with these two whether you like it or not. The only thing you have to decide is whether or not you're going to accept that this is who I am."

Lao and Poppy both looked desperate. Both seemed resigned to the fate that they would lose their daughter. "You belong here with us, Toph," Lao lamented. "We'll never stop trying to bring you home."

Toph's face darkened, angered by their response. The least they could have done was tell her that they loved her, but now she only felt less remorse about leaving. "You can try." She turned around and slumped down into the saddle and nodded to Ren and Aang.

Aang was smart enough to realise that was their cue to leave. "Appa, yip yip!" The mighty bison rose into the air and began to fly into the western skies, leaving behind two grief stricken parents to wallow in their mistakes.

; ; ;

**Two-parter done! I did kinda like the bit where Aang went to visit the badger moles with Toph. Of course, he did technically see them in the Cave of Two Lovers but he didn't have much involvement with them as he was with Katara, and he wasn't exactly thinking about learning earthbending at the time. Plus, I think Toph's influence and knowledgeability about the animals would've helped too.**

**I also like the way I presented Toph's parents in this. Within the comics, specifically **_**The Rift**_**, we see that despite Lao and Poppy's misunderstanding of Toph, they do still care for her a lot. I thought it would be good to show off their more loving parental nature rather than the strictness we were shown in the cartoon.**

**It will most likely be a few weeks until I update the story again. I've got my trial HSC coming up next week (Australian high school final exams) and I need to start focusing on that. After that, I promise I will get Chapter 13 out as fast as possible.**

**And as always, leave a review!**


	13. The Stranger

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, I had my exams about two weeks ago and then I just needed some time to destress and relax after all that stress. It took me a while to get back into the story as well. I'll have to take another break around September/October, but until then I'll try and get back into (somewhat) regular updates. This chapter might not be as high quality as some of the others, simply due to my exhaustion after all my work. Anyways, hope you enjoy and leave a review :)**

**WAS JUST ABOUT TO POST THIS THEN I REALISED THAT IT'S BEEN LIKE A MONTH SINCE I LAST UPLOADED. I'M SO SORRY**

; ; ;

Sokka, Katara, and the rest of their group had set up camp outside a small village on the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom village. It was quaint, and the townsfolk had been very welcoming of their arrival.

"It's been years since we've seen your kind here," an old lady had said after Bato visited the general store for food. "We used to trade with you all of the time, but after hearing about how the men from your village had gone to war, we stopped getting trade ships from you."

Their group had grown smaller so that it was just the four of them plus Suki. She had sent her Kyoshi Warriors away: some back to Kyoshi Island to defend the town in case of an attack, and the other half ahead to Chameleon Bay to help prepare for the invasion and to relay the details of the eclipse to Hakoda, in case Bato's message was intercepted. Suki had decided to stay with them, however. She claimed it was for their protection (despite it being blindingly obvious that they didn't need any) but was probably due to the fact that her and Sokka were practically inseparable now.

Sokka was left all alone at the campsite where they were staying. They had been welcome to set up just outside town and had been provided with new equipment and a fourth ostrich horse by the town, after telling their leader they were freedom fighters. Kirima and Katara had gone off somewhere to practice their bending, whereas Suki and Bato had gone off into the wilderness for reconnaissance, looking for signs of Fire Nation and potentially Aang.

So he was sat on a tree stump, absent-mindedly sharpening his boomerang and his new knife stolen from the Yuyan archer, humming to himself. He had grown quite attached to the knife. It was small and easy to carry and conceal, and was useful for gutting what wildlife they could find for dinner. It was a handy bonus to his already fearsome arsenal of weapons alongside his boomerang and club.

Boredom gave way and he put down his weapons before wandering into the town. Sokka didn't have much money on him, only a few gold pieces that he'd received from Chin Village, but was perusing the local stores nonetheless. He visited a barbequed food stand where he picked up a few meat skewers to munch on, and flicked through the clothing items on display at a different shop.

He was walking out of the blacksmith after admiring their awesome displays of swords when a man approached him. He had short fair hair and deep blue eyes, and looked to be perhaps in his late fifties judging by the wrinkles on his face.

"So, you must be one of the new visitors that's got the town in such a state," the man chuckled, attracting Sokka's attention. He was leaning against the wall of the blacksmith's workshop.

Sokka, still with a mouth full of meat, let out an intelligible grunt in response, causing the man to laugh again. Embarrassed, Sokka swallowed the food in a large gulp and cleared his throat. "Can I help you?"

"No, sorry, I was just curious. Been a while since I've seen another Water Tribe fellow."

Sokka's eyebrows shot up. "You're from the Water Tribe? North or South?"

The man paused for a moment, his eyes darting to the right quickly. "North," he said hesitantly, "although I was in the South for a while a few years ago."

"You must know my dad then! Hakoda?"

"I remember that name. You must be his young boy then. Sokka, was it?"

"Yes!" Sokka said delightedly, clapping his hands. "Oh man, that's so cool!"

The man chuckled again. "Well, Mr Sokka, how would you like to have a cup of tea at my house for a bit then? Tell me all about the tribe, eh?" He pointed out to a lone house overlooking the beach, away from the rest of the town.

Sokka beamed. "I'd love to!"

The two started walking off to the house, Sokka blabbering on endlessly about the tribe and his recent adventures while the man just listened thoughtfully, occasionally asking a question. Before, long, they had reached the front door.

While the man was unlocking his front door, Sokka paused for a moment. He couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy about this man, but couldn't exactly place why. It wasn't going into the house, no, Sokka was sure if he tried to pull something on him Sokka would be able to beat him in a fight. It might've just been the way the man composed himself and the way he seemed hungry for answers about the south tribe. Sokka dismissed the thought, chalking it up to the man's prolonged absence from the tribes. Still, it would be good to at least know his name.

"What's your name?" Sokka asked as the man beckoned him through the door.

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. His eyes flitted from side to side again, as if he was uneasy about the question. "I don't care for names much."

"Still, I need something to call you by, don't I?" Sokka replied as he entered the house. It was a fairly modest abode, with a few animals lining the walls and a small hearth against the far wall.

The man paused again, sighing as he closed the door behind him. "Ren. My name is Ren."

Iroh had awoken the next day to see Zuko packing up their campsite. Their fire had long since burned out, reduced to nothing more than white ashes, and the ceramic tea set Iroh owned had been stowed away. In fact, everything had been stowed safely onto the ostrich horses except for Iroh's sleeping bag. But that was hardly relevant, since they had precious little on them at the moment, especially after Zuko's act of charity last night and delivering back all of his stolen goods.

Zuko was sitting up a log, rolling his own sleeping bag into a cylinder when he saw Iroh awake with a yawn. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, taking in their surroundings.

"Why, good morning Zuko! It is unlike you to be up so early," Iroh hummed, stretching his arms above his head. Zuko just grunted and turned his attention back to the sleeping bag.

'We have to start moving. We've been in the same place for too long," Zuko tersely replied. "Come on. Pack up your things."

Iroh smiled, and slowly got out of his sleeping bag. "Relax, Zuko. If no one has stumbled across us thus far, I highly doubt anyone will in the next few hours." Despite his own words however, Iroh began to pack up to be of service to his nephew.

They ate a quick breakfast of bread stolen from the other night, the one thing they had chosen to keep, and were soon on their way, Iroh walking alongside Zuko, who was mounted on the ostrich horse along with their belongings. Zuko had tried to get Uncle to take the steed so they could travel faster, but Iroh had merely waved him off. "We are in no rush," he had said. "Besides, I enjoy walking every once in a while."

They started trekking out east. Their current plan was to go to Ba Sing Se, one of the last remaining Earth Kingdom cities not under the control of the Fire Nation and the last fortified one. Iroh had assured Zuko that he couldn't be persecuted by the Fire Nation as long as he was safe behind its walls.

"Besides," Iroh had joked, "If I couldn't take the city, I doubt anyone else can. Not even your crazy sister, Azula."

Zuko was not yet assured of the plan's success, but decided to play along with his uncle's pipe dream of security. He still yearned to continue his search for the Avatar and his companions, and being trapped inside a glorified prison compound with a bunch of insufferable Earth Kingdom idiots wouldn't help that. But, if the Avatar was going to go anywhere, it would probably be Ba Sing Se. After all, if he hadn't found an earthbending teacher yet, that would probably be the last place he could ever find one, what with earthbenders being sent to floating prisons in the sea nowadays.

They spent the good part of the day meandering along a beaten path through a savannah. Their pace was much too slow for Zuko's liking, and was internally fuming that Iroh had chosen to walk rather than ride on the ostrich horse. But every time he mentioned it to his uncle, he merely dismissed the notion with a wave of the hand, claiming he enjoyed the slower pace so that he could appreciate the beautiful scenery.

In reality, Iroh didn't care much for the views. Although he would agree that nature was inherently beautiful, these plains they were hiking besides were… well, plain. Rather, he wanted to test Zuko's capacity for patience further. The boy was still terribly hot-headed despite his experiences, something that Iroh felt he needed to temper. It was a gradual process that he had been attempting over the past few years, but was proving futile. That would never stop him from trying, though.

However, through Iroh's mindless observation of the wilderness, he spotted a piece of metal that had reflected the sunlight right into his eye. It was clearly new as the metal had not lost its lustre so far as he could see, and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the soft green hues of the grass. Apparently, Zuko had seen it too.

'What is that?" he asked, peering at the metal.

Iroh grimaced. "Probably nothing good. It would be wise to steer well clear, I believe."

Of course, Zuko ignored him. He turned the ostrich horse off the road towards where the metal was shining from and began to strut forwards, until Iroh tugged at his shirt sleeve.

"What do you think you are doing? It could be Fire Nation!"

"It could be many things, Uncle, that's why I'm going to investigate. It's up to you whether you want to come with me or not, but I'm going to see what it is." With that, he urged the ostrich horse onwards up to the hill that the metal was shining over. Iroh sighed, and began to follow him. No doubt that he was going to do something stupid, Iroh thought, but he couldn't leave him now.

Zuko had given up on slowing to Iroh's pace, and took off towards the hill. The ostrich horse was slow and probably slightly underfed, but it was better than travelling at a snail's pace. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, he was happy to see that Iroh was following him at a slight jog.

It didn't take him long to reach the top of the hill. There was a lone tree sitting on the crest of the hill, providing some shade from the beating sun. He climbed off the mount and tied its bridle onto one of the tree's thick branches, cautious not to make any loud noises.

The sight that greeted him was not wholly pleasant, to say the least. Zuko crouched next to the tree trunk and grimaced.

Below him lay a massive warehouse with a large Fire Nation insignia painted on the side. It was surrounded by a fortified wall, with soldiers milling about on top. There were barracks, a hall, a stable, and other small buildings dotted around the area. By this time, Iroh had reached Zuko and crouched down beside him.

"This does not look good," Iroh murmured, not taking his eyes off the facility. "This looks a lot more advanced than other fortresses I've seen."

"What do you think that warehouse is for?" Zuko asked, turning to his uncle.

"I am not sure. Perhaps some new kind of weapon?"

Zuko glanced back to the compound. "There's a lot more troops than normal down there."

Iroh stroked his beard. "Indeed. This looks like an invasion force to me. During my time at the North with the Fire Navy as Zhao's second-in-command, I overheard two officers discussing plans about invading…" His face paled. "Ba Sing Se. They said they were building a weapon to breach the walls."

Zuko grunted. That must be what they were hiding in the massive warehouse. He wasn't quite sure whether he should be happy with his country for making advancements in the war, or fearful. He carefully opted with the former.

Unfortunately, his mood was soured. Although the figures looked small, Zuko spotted his sister standing outside the warehouse, barking orders to some poor soldier. A person wearing pink was by her side, standing upside down on her hands.

"What are Azula and Ty Lee doing here?" Zuko hissed to Iroh. "I thought they'd be out looking for the Avatar?"

Iroh's face scrunched up. "It seems she may be leading this force, perhaps. She is by far the highest ranking person there, unless by some gross twist of fate your father is here as well."

Zuko shook his head. "No. My father wouldn't come all the way out here just to lead troops."

Something clicked in Zuko's head. He thought back to his childhood, when he and Azula weren't constantly trying to kill one another. Azula always had Mai and Ty Lee tagging along with her wherever she went. Surely if Ty Lee was with Azula now, then Mai would have to be here somewhere as well. Zuko scanned the grounds again, but could find no sight of the slender black-haired girl. Where was she?

An unfortunately familiar voice from behind snapped Zuko and his uncle out of their investigation. Zuko didn't have to see their face to recognise exactly who it was. No one else in the world ever spoke that monotonously.

"What in Ozai's name are you two doing here?"

; ; ;

Sokka squealed in delight when he saw the inside of the house. To one side sat armour racks of southern warrior clothes, and a few weapon stands stacked with swords, clubs, boomerangs, spears, and every other type of weapon Sokka had ever seen in the tribe. The walls was covered in bear skins and _bless_, there was a jar of seal jerky sitting on a dining table.

"Do you mind if I…" Sokka asked nervously, pointing a wavering finger at the southern delicacy.

Ren laughed. "Of course, young Sokka. Be my guest."

Sokka bounded over to the table and grabbed a massive handful of the stuff, shoving it into his mouth all at once and letting out a small moan of appreciation. "It tastes so gooood," he said, his words muffled by the food.

Ren smiled. "Of course it does. I made it myself. Now once you're done, how about you tell me about the rest of your journey? I'm dying to hear about it."

And so he did. Sokka, after swallowing the jerky in one massive gulp, proceeded to prattle on about the rest of their trip thus far, stopping only when Ren asked a question.

"…and then we came here," Sokka finished, rubbing his hands together, "And I met you. You should come meet the others!"

Ren's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Perhaps that's not a great idea. I believe some of the older generations might harbour some slight… misgivings towards me for leaving the tribe. I can't imagine your friends – Bato and Kirima, you said? – would be too jovial about a reunion."

Sokka frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Why not? You're Water Tribe?"

Ren chuckled nervously. "Not everything is as black and white as you make it sound, dear boy. I have a convoluted past, one which I've tried to escape from."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Something about what Ren was saying and the way he was acting wasn't sitting with Sokka well. He thought back to how intently Ren had listened to his stories, and how interested he'd been to hear about two Southern waterbenders, and how strange Ren had seemed to act when asked about his own past. Before Sokka could ask anything further, though, Ren piped up.

"So, these waterbender friends of yours… are you close to them?" he asked casually, taking a sip from a glass of water.

"Yeah, of course. One of them is my sister, and the other is a close friend. Why?"

Ren stood up out of the chair and walked over to the racks of weapons, brushing his fingers across the hilt of a sword. "That's a shame. I know some people who would have been _very _interested to meet them." He glanced back at Sokka and smiled. "Tell me, Sokka, do you know why our world has been plunged into war for the past one hundred years?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Uh, I dunno. Because the past few Fire Lords have been power-hungry maniacs who want to rule over everyone and everything?"

Ren laughed and turned back to his weapons. "Is that what you have been taught? No, my dear boy, the Fire Nation merely wanted to spread its prosperity with the rest of the world. Technological advancements in agriculture, architecture, education. They were leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else, and they had the generosity to try and spread it with the rest of the world. But other countries were resisting it like savages."

"That's not true at all!" Sokka shouted, slamming his fists on the table. "My best friend is the Avatar. His whole culture was wiped out by Fire Lord Sozin! They were all killed!"

"I take it your friend Aang was part of the Air Nomad army that tried to invade the Fire Nation caldera then? No?" Sokka looked absolutely shocked. "Then listen. The Air Nomads were the most primitive of all the other cultures. No sense of home, no families, they didn't even eat meat for crying out loud! They refused the Fire Nation's way of life, so they tried to attack the Fire Nation and take over."

"How do you even know all of this?" Sokka spluttered desperate to find an answer for Ren's insane ramblings.

Ren shrugged. "History scrolls up in the North," he lied. "The Fire Nation had to bravely fight back against the Air Nomad armies, and luckily for them Sozin's Comet had arrived, imbuing them with the strength of a thousand suns. Once the Air Nomads had been destroyed, the other nations started to fight the Fire Nation as well."

"None of that even makes sense! We saw Aang's mentor, Monk Gyatso, dead at the Southern Air Temple surrounded by hundreds of Fire Nation army soldiers' skeletons. Explain that!"

"Retaliatory attacks against the Air Nomads. So what? The point I'm trying to make here is that the Fire Nation aren't the bad guys in this war. Benders from other nations have been resisting against all this progress, and look what it's done to the world! We're stuck in the middle of a war just because the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom are too stubborn to accept the help of the Fire Nation!"

Sokka threw an accusing finger at Ren. "Then why were the Fire Nation attacking our village for so long, huh? How come they took my mother? How come Zhao tried to invade the North Water Tribe a few weeks ago?"

Ren sighed, and placed his head in his hand. "To remove the obstacle of waterbenders from progress. Water is the natural enemy of fire. The Fire Nation saw them as the most powerful enemy – I mean, challenge – they would have to face." Ren paused for a moment and looked down into his glass, swirling the water inside around. "You know the Fire Nation will pay a hefty sum for any waterbenders, right?" He turned to Sokka, a cruel smirk creeping across his face.

Sokka's eyes widened. He reached over his hand and pulled his boomerang from its sheath and pointed it dangerously at Ren's head. "Don't you _dare _go anywhere near Katara or Kirima," he threatened through gritted teeth. Ren just smirked and carried on talking, ignoring Sokka's threat.

"If all the waterbenders are gone, the Fire Nation can more easily spread their successes with the world. Why, your tribe might evolve into an actually functioning society with their help, not a rag-tag group of people roughing it out in the winter and struggling to find food." He sighed, and looked back to Sokka. "I'll give you one chance to turn over your waterbenders now. You'll be paid the reward in full up front, and be granted amnesty from the Fire Nation. If you want to protect those criminals, you'll ojin them in whatever punishment is seen fit."

Sokka could do nothing but stare blankly at him. Here was this man, so clearly Water Tribe with his collection of weapons and furs, yet so clearly _not _at the same time. The tribes were like families: no one would ever dare betray another in their tight-knit communities. Ren's mind had been twisted by the power of greed, that he had apparently forgotten the values of his heritage.

Finally, Sokka blinked and shook his head. "There's something wrong with you," he muttered, placing his boomerang back in its holster. "I'd never turn over my sister, no matter what. Especially not to the likes of you." And with that, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him as he went.

; ; ;

Zuko was rarely at a loss for words, but seeing Mai for the first time in three years was perhaps one of those few times. "Mai? What… but – why, and how…?" he stuttered, turning around to face her.

Mai just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm doing wonderfully, Zuko. Thanks for asking. Nice to see you too." The corners of her mouth were only slightly upturned in a smile, betraying the boredom in her voice.

_Still the same old Mai, _Zuko thought to himself while he gave her a quick glance up and down. She'd grown taller, looking to almost be as tall as he, and had grown very slender. Her hair was still pulled up in her quintessential hairstyle, and Zuko couldn't help but think how much more _beautiful _she looked now compared to when he was exiled. Of course, he'd never say that to her. She'd probably throw up or stick a knife in between his eyes.

Iroh, clearly not bewitched by Mai's looks, nodded his head. "Lady Mai, it is good to meet you again." He gave a quick sideways glance to Zuko and smirked. "You were always a good influence for Zuko. He has missed you very much," he teased. Zuko shot him a withering glare, and Mai's cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

"Uh, yeah, so anyways," Zuko said, calming himself and turning back to Mai. "What's going on down there?"

She glanced back to the compound. "The troops are preparing for an invasion of Ba Sing Se. Azula, Ty Lee and I were just stopping by for a bit to finalise the progress. Azula wants us looking for the Avatar again before coming back to lead the invasion."

Iroh grimaced. "So it is as I feared. An invasion is imminent."

Mai nodded. "We've almost finished building the drill. It won't be long until its ready." She stared straight into Zuko's eyes, and composed herself a bit. "Now it's my turn for questions: what the hell are you two doing here?"

"We were on our way to Ba Sing Se, when we saw the metal of the warehouse," Zuko recounted. "We came to investigate."

"Of course you did," Mai muttered. She groaned, and raked her hand through her hair. "I'm supposed to tell Azula if I see you, you know."

"If Azula finds us, we'll surely be killed," Iroh murmured, stroking his beard.

"And if Azula finds out I let you two go, she'll kill _me,_" Mai tersely replied. She paused a moment to consider the two crouched men on the ground in front of her. One, the boy she had had a crush on ever since she was six, the other, the only member of the royal family that seemed to have some shred of compassion and humility. She couldn't just leave them to die.

She sighed. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to get away. After that, I'll tell Azula that I spotted you two. If you don't manage to get away in time then… not my problem."

Zuko recognised that was as good as they were ever going to get from Mai, and had pushed their luck far enough as it was. He could count himself lucky, he supposed, that it was Mai who had found him rather than Azula, Ty Lee or any of the Fire Nation soldiers standing guard around the perimeter of the encampment.

With a curt nod he hauled himself up onto his feet and offered Iroh his hand to help him up, which he graciously accepted. "You take the horse, Uncle," Zuko ordered. "We need to move fast. No sight-seeing for a while. Understood?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow, clearly questioning Zuko's sudden claim of authority, but didn't argue back. He climbed up onto the ostrich horse's back, trying to settle his large rump into the uncomfortably small saddle. After a moment of wriggling he seemed to make himself comfortable and was ready to leave, turning to Zuko expectantly.

"You go ahead, I can catch up," Zuko said to Iroh, but looking at Mai. Iroh could sense the awkward tension between them and gave a sly grin before digging his heels into the belly of the ostrich horse and tearing off down the hill.

Now that the two of them were alone, Zuko seemed even more lost. He wasn't sure quite where to start with Mai, given their extremely limited contact over the last three years save for a sparse correspondence of letters to one another. Mai looked slightly less confused as Zuko, and looked as if she needed to say something.

"Mai, I-" Zuko started, before Mai cut him off.

"I met the Avatar in Omashu a few weeks ago," she blurted out. She looked very uncomfortable speaking about this for some reason, so Zuko decided to shut his trap and let her speak. She gave him a weak smile before continuing. "I was out on a walk with my family when someone tried to assassinate us. He managed to stop a boulder just before it hit us and told me to run."

Zuko just blinked at her. "O…okay?" Mai shot him a withering look.

"Don't patronise me, Zuko," she scolded. Her face softened and her gaze drifted out beyond the grassy plains surrounding them and to the horizon, where the sun was beginning to dip into the late afternoon sky. "I don't know what to do. Azula wants us to go and capture him but he saved my life. I owe him. And I _hate _owing people."

"He saved you? Why?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "Why would I know, Zuko? Figure that out for yourself. After all, you're the one obsessed with catching him."

"I'm not obsessed," Zuko said through gritted teeth. Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever you say, Zuko." She glanced back to the compound and sighed. "You should probably go now. It was nice to see you again, but if I'm seen with you it's not going to be good."

"I, uh… it was nice to see you too, Mai," he stuttered awkwardly. He kicked himself internally for sounding like a blubbering idiot, but deemed it as a result of the extremely limited contact he had with girls during his three years of exile. Besides, he wasn't exactly a natural charmer anyhow.

Mai gave him a quick once over before turning down the hill to the compound, waving a hand over her shoulder. "Ten minutes, Zuko," she hummed. "Better get moving."

; ; ;

He watched as the group of five packed their bags and left the village, only feeling the slightest pang of remorse when Sokka threw a disgusted look back towards the town. But he needn't worry. With time, the boy would thank him for what he had done. Waterbenders were a cancer to this earth, and needed to be eradicated.

He hated having to lie to the boy as well. Despite his duty he still loved the Water Tribes, and he perhaps felt a bit saddened by the necessity for misleading Sokka. He could have been a promising apprentice, with his quick wit, cunning, and affinity for warriorship. But once again, the evil nature of waterbenders had corrupted another good man's heart.

He didn't leave the house until nightfall, once Sokka and his camp had long since left and the town had gone to sleep. Silently, he walked down towards the beach near the south of the town, a small lantern feebly lighting his way. He wore a long shawl with a hood, held together with a clasp emblazoned with a Fire Nation insignia. With him he also carried a small knife, tucked into his belt, and a scroll sealed tight with a wax stamp.

Three more figures were already on the beach, each illuminated not by a lamp but by a small ball of flame held in their hands. The men on the left and right wore Fire Nation army uniforms, while the man in the middle wore no helmet and had his long brown hair tied into a top knot.

He stopped about two metres away from the men, lifting off his hood when he stopped. "Admiral Chan," he said while bowing in greeting, "thank you for coming. I would not have contacted your Eastern fleet unless I believed it to be urgent."

Chan's face did not waver. "You're positive that there were two waterbenders? From the South?"

"I have never been more certain."

"Hmmm," Chan murmured, scratching his chin. He turned to one of the soldiers stationed beside him. "Whoever is leading the Southern Raiders is to be fired, effective immediately. Clearly, they do not know how to do their job," he ordered.

Chan extended his hand out in front of him. "The scroll?" he asked impatiently.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the manuscript, placing it in Chan's hand. But before Chan was able to grab a hold of it, he snatched it back quickly. "I'm coming with you," he commanded. Chan frowned. "I want the waterbenders gone just as much as you, and I know where they are headed. Besides there is a boy travelling with them who shows… promise." He paused for a moment. "I believe there is a chance we can use him."

Chan stood silently, frowning, tossing over his options in his head. After what seemed like only a minute however, his face broke out into a menacing grin and nodded his head. "I'm sure you'd like to join us on one last mission." He grabbed the scroll from Ren's hand. "And who knows, we might even cross paths with your son by chance. I heard rumours that he'd left the North Pole."

His mouth contorted into a stiff line. "I disowned that wretched boy years ago. He is no longer my son."

"Of course you don't," Chan admitted. He abruptly turned around and marched off to a small rowing boat docked onto the beach. "I want to be back at the ship by dawn," he commanded to his men, who both scampered off right after towards the boat to prepare the oars.

Chan took one last look back at the man standing on the sand, and beckoned him forth with his hand. His eyes narrowed, and another cruel smirk settled its way onto his face.

"Come along, Usama. We've got waterbenders to catch."

Usama nodded, and set out on one last mission.

; ; ;

**Finally! Usama is actually in the story and not just as a flashback! For those of you who didn't quite understand, Usama used Ren as a pseudonym so that he wouldn't reveal his true identity. Also I **_**know **_**that the Air Noamds didn't have a military (as confirmed in S3E02) but clearly this a) wasn't common knowledge to most people or b) didn't matter to Usama.**


End file.
